It's Not Easy Being Blue (OFF HIATUS, NEW CHAPTERS COMING)
by LittleHuskyBear
Summary: Grimmjow smirked devilishly at the petite girl before him, "I've seen you half naked, remember that women." Rika tossed her black locks behind her, glancing up at the blue haired beast before her, "It's not like you're the first, moron. Besides, I doubt you'll be the last either." Grimmjow x OC Rated T for dialogue and sensual situations. Possible M rating in the future.
1. As Long As You're Happy

"Was he someone important to you, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo looked up at the older girl sitting opposite from him, she was picking at her tonjiru soup and looking directly at him. Ichigo suddenly felt uneasy and straightened up in his chair, clearing his throat as he spoke.

"Well no, he wasn't. He was my enemy, I had to defeat him. It was the only way to bring Inoue back safely."

"Is that so? Then why didn't you return right after defeating him? From what you said, it sounds like you could have made a run for it and avoided the entire showdown in Hueco Mundo."

"It wasn't as easy as that, Rika! I had to fight them, that's the reason why we went in th-"

"I thought the reason you went was to rescue Inoue-chan?"

"Well, yes… That was our mission but once there we had to fight to stay alive!"

Rika sighed and leaned back in her chair, pulling her black hair back into a bun and pinning it. The entire time never taking her glare off Ichigo. Ichigo, in return, decided that his soup suddenly deserved his undivided attention and proceeded to devour it.

"So that panther guy had a point then, huh Ichigo?"

Ichigo looked up at Rika, swallowing harder than he had intended.

"About what?"

"About you just wanting to go to Hueco Mundo to fight, to test your power."

Ichigo began to protest when Rika cut him off once more,

"I know, you had no choice. I'm not judging you, I'm just saying that perhaps the panther guy was right in his theory of your motives and you should recognize that. You saved Inoue-chan and Karakura so in the end it all worked out and you did great and anyone who knows the truth is grateful, I'm grateful. You defeated the bad guys and lived to tell the tale, but I just want to know why whenever you speak of that specific battle with that specific Arrancar you go all Bruce Wayne on me. That's why I asked if he was important. If what he said got to you then just admit and accept it, no one will think any less of you. They wouldn't dare."

Ichigo was quiet for a moment, pondering on Rika's words. They hadn't known each other that long, Isshin had hired the petite girl to help around the clinic and do the clerical duties a few months ago. Yet despite their lack of acquaintanceship, Rika had managed to forge a budding friendship with the high school boy and become a confidant of sorts to him. She didn't seem to possess any type of special spiritual power like Chad or Orihime but she did possess very strong spiritual energy for a human and was not immune to the odd occurrences in Karakura. Ichigo smiled.

"You've got it wrong Rika, it wasn't what he said that gets to me. I know he had a point, he was right about me wanting to fight. I have no qualms with that. And yeah, I guess he was important in a way. By the end, I didn't consider him evil or a bad guy, in fact, I don't think he gave a damn about Aizen's agenda. No, I know he didn't give a damn. All he wanted to do was prove his own existence, that he wasn't just another Arrancar being led around by Aizen. He wanted to prove he was powerful, that he was his own king. And… he never got that chance."

Rika's eyes softened as she heaved a heavy sigh,

"So he died?"

"Yes, but not by my hands. He was betrayed by his comrade and slain in cold blood. I didn't want to kill him, but there was also nothing I could do to save him. His murderer came after us immediately. We had to move fast."

"I see, and that's what bothers you… That, in the end, you couldn't do anything for him."

Ichigo nodded. The two teens sat in silence for the remainder of their meal. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was a pleasant and welcomed silence where both Rika and Ichigo could enjoy one another's company without having to utter a single word. Ichigo guessed that it was their comfort with not having to say anything to one another yet still know when something was wrong that made their bond so strong in such a short period of time. And now that Ichigo didn't have his Shinigami powers anymore, he could return to a normal life. He had no idea how he would go about doing that but he was sure that as long as someone like Rika was around he would somehow manage.

Seventeen Months Later

"So… after Rukia stabbed you, you got your powers back?"

Ichigo smiled broadly and held up his Shinigami badge,

"Yup, I'm a substitute Shinigami again."

Rika let out an exasperated sigh as she finished restocking the bandages in the first aide cabinet in the clinic. Ichigo's smile disappeared, he blinked a few times and withdrew his badge.

"Rika, what's wrong? This is a good thing, I'm strong again and I can protect you and Yuzu and Karin and everyone!"

"What's wrong, Kurosaki, is that everything was peaceful when you were just another average kid. Things are gonna get freaky again, I can just sense it…"

"Yeah, probably. But like I said, I'm stronger now so I can protect you."

Ichigo smiled again and rubbed the back of his head, Rika glared at the young boy and began to pack up her things.

"I wouldn't need protection is you had just stayed ordinary!"

Ichigo's eye's grew wide before he softened them again, giving a smaller smile.

"It's hard for you, isn't it? Karin said she's noticed you're spiritual energy has been increasing since I released my Fullbringer while training with Kujo. I guess it's the side effect of working here all week and being exposed to my spiritual energy. It's probably going to get worse now that I'm a Shinigami again. I'm sorry Rika, but I promise that no matter what happens I won't let anything hurt you. I'll use this power to protect you and everyone in my life."

Rika felt a blow of guilt for yelling at Ichigo. It was all true, since a few months ago when Ichigo had begun training again, Rika could physically feel the change in her ability to sense spirits. When she had arrived in Karakura from Canada, nothing had really changed. She could sense small pressures every once in a while but that was about it. Then she met Kurosaki Isshin at the grocery store and after helping him see the difference between a lettuce and a cabbage, he was so grateful he gave her a job. That's when things began to get freaky. From the day she met Ichigo, Rika could tell there was something odd about the orange haired lad. As the months went on, Rika could feel the increase in spiritual activity around here. She began to see terrifying creatures more often and could spot the once invisible Shinigami who would combat those creatures. Rika was terrified at first and had it not been for Karin who had explained to her what she was going through, she would have gone mental. Rika didn't know all the details of the adventures Ichigo went on with his friends but she knew he had gone through a lot to keep his family, friends, and the entire town safe. Rika smiled at Ichigo, making up her mind that it didn't matter how his spiritual energy affected her. The change was worth it if it meant having Ichigo be strong and happy once more.

"I know you will. I'm sorry Kurosaki-kun, it's actually awesome that you got your power back. I expect you to be out there being a badass again, got it?"

Rika playfully winked at Ichigo, giving him a thumbs up. Ichigo blushed lightly at the added honorific on his name but smiled none the less.

"Well, I'm out of here. My shift is done. Say goodbye to Yuzu and Karin for me, will ya?"

Rika waved goodbye as she slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way out the clinic doors. Ichigo waved back, smiling bigger than he had done in a while. Twilight was nearing and the first starts began to illuminate the sky. Ichigo felt incredibly satisfied at his new situation, he could finally protect the ones he loved again.


	2. Don't Mess With Me

The sun had completely set and the moon now shun brightly over Karakura Town, Rika hugged her sweater closer to her body. Winter was fast approaching and it would only get harder for Rika to make her daily commutes to the clinic. On top of that, walking to school would be no easy task in the wee hours of the fall and winter days to come, either. Rika lived in the metropolitan area of Karakura so Kurosaki clinic was quite a ways off from her flat. About a forty-five minute walk to be exact. It was a good work out at least, besides, she was accustomed to having to walk everywhere by now.

"I need to get a car."

Rika had been considering purchasing a car for quite some time now. She could definitely afford it, working since the age of sixteen and saving practically every cent of gift money she had ever gotten since childhood had given the nineteen year-old quite a stash of disposable income. The only problem was her immigrant status in Japan. Would a foreigner with a Student Visa even be allowed to get a Japanese driver's license? Would having a Canadian driver's license be of any help? Sure, public transportation was always an option, but having a car would give Rika the more flexible sleeping hours she so desperately craved.

Rika checked her phone, it was 10:07 PM and the streets of Central Karakura were as busy as they were in the daytime. The route Rika took home every night was relatively safe but being a young women with such a small frame, it never hurt to be cautious. Rika didn't fear your average pervert or drunkard, she was very confident in her combat skills to keep her safe in such situations. What she did fear was being mugged at gun point, she feared being at gun point in general. She always carried a switchblade and stun gun with her but wondered if those weapons would be enough against something as powerful as a gun.

Rika was so caught up in her thoughts that she had failed to notice the sudden loud ruckus behind her. Without warning, something had run across her feet and turned into an ally. All Rika saw of it was a white streak, she stood there in a daze looking into the ally for a few seconds before she felt someone roughly shove her to the side.

"H-HEY!"

Someone else had managed to shove her and Rika slammed into the ally wall to keep herself from falling.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!"

As Rika composed herself, she saw the culprits were three boys. They all wore matching uniforms, Rika could tell they were Junior High uniforms. The boys all had their backs to her and they were snickering and laughing, they were surrounding something. Rika walked deeper into the ally until she was at a hearing distance.

"Hey, see if you can cut the tail off!"

"With what? All I've got are a pair of safety scissors."

"Guys! It's getting up again, kick it!"

"Hahahaha! Yeah! Kick it again!"

"I've got a lighter! Let's burn it!"

Rika rushed up to the trio and grabbed the kid in the middle by the color, forcefully pulling him back and shaving him away. Her eyes grow tenfold when she saw that what the boys had been planning to burn was a cat. Anger boiled within her stomach as she clenched her fists.

"What the hell were you brats trying to do here?!"

"Hey, fuck off lady!"

"Yeah, fuck off! We don't answer to bitches like you!"

Rika narrowed her eyes at the kid to her right and proceeded to grab his collar and shove him into the ally wall. As the boy squirmed, Rika's grip on him grew tighter.

"Now listen here you little prick, I don't give a shit if you answer to me or not but unless you want my foot shoved up your scrawny little ass GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"

Rika dragged the boy along the wall until he hit a trash can and lifted him over it only to dump him onto the metal can. The boy had trouble getting up until the other two came to help him out. They ran away but not before cursing Rika with all they had to offer.

"OH PLEASE, IS THAT ALL YOU PUNKS HAVE?! Armatures…"

Rika immediately turned her attention back to the cat. It had a pure white coat, unfortunately the white was covered by filth and blood. Rika took in a sharp breath as she drew in closer and kneeled in front of the feline, looking for the cause of blood. The cat stirred as Rika came in closer, it let out an angry growl and tried to back up. Rika continued forward, closing in her hand.

"MURRHR!"

The cat roared as it swiped at Rika's hand which she quickly drew back. It seemed that this was all the cat could do before it collapsed in exhaustion, breathing heavily and eyeing Rika. Rika began to near her hand once again, much more slowly this time.

"Hey little fella, its ok. I won't hurt you, I just want to help."

She left her hand in the air, leaving a small space between her fingers and the cat. After a couple of minutes, the cat cautiously raised its head and sniffed her hand. It seemed to have approved of her scent because when Rika laid a finger on its ear, the cat didn't so much as budge. Rika sat up straight and unzipped her sweater. Placing her bag on the floor, she removed the sweater and placed in gingerly over the cat's body. Rika followed to pick the cat up, wrapping it up in the sweater which turned out to be no easy task. The cat hissed and squirmed, trying to break free until Rika managed to calm it down with soft coos.

"You need help ASAP. And I know just where to take you."

Rika grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder as she ran out of the ally, the cat safely snuggled in her arms.

S

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_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Rika pounded on the door in front of her.

"Koga-kun! Open up, I know you're not asleep!"

Rika continued to pound for another minute before the door opened up a small portion. A young man with short, shaggy blonde hair and spectacles stood on the other side. He eyed Rika angrily.

"What is it now, Moreno? It's one in the damn morning! And where do you get off referring to me in such a friendly manner, huh?"

"Oh please, it's like 10:30. I need your help Koga-kun. Look!"

Rika pulled the sweater off slightly so Koga could see the feline inside. His face grew hard as he examined the cat. Its breathing had grown jagged. The blood had begun to seep into the fabric and pool around its side. Koga cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up.

"Go home, Moreno. Fill two tubs with warm water and gather as many wash cloths or towels as you can. Give me five minutes. I'll be there in five minutes. Make sure it doesn't stop breathing."

Rika nodded and turned towards the stair case right outside of Koga's door, climbing them as quickly and gently as possible. It was just her luck that her downstairs neighbor was a veterinarian. Once she reached her door, Rika rummaged through her bag for the keys and went inside. Her flat consisted of two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen with a connected dining area and a living room. It was a little big for one person but at the time she leased it, there wasn't much else she had to choose from. Rika gently laid the cat on her couch as she went to turn on lights inside the flat. She grabbed the two largest bowls she owned and began to fill them with water while searching everywhere for spare cloths and towels.

About five minutes later, Rika heard a knock on her door and rushed to let Koga inside. He had his large medical briefcase with him. He instructed her to bring the bowls of water into the living room and put them on the coffee table. She did as was told and brought the towels as well. As Koga began to prepare the things he needed, he handed Rika a piece of paper.

"I need you to go to the store and pick these things up."

Rika looked at the paper and read cat bed, flea collar, cat brush, cat shampoo, leash, collar with a bell, etcetera and etcetera.

"What the hell is this…?"

"Things you'll be needing."

"Why…?"

"Moreno-san, what exactly did you plan to do with this cat after I treated it?"

"Um, well, I haven't thought that far yet…"

"Of course you haven't. That's why you need these things. It's also so you can get out of the way and let me work."

Rika felt her eye twitch. Koga sure was a blunt guy when it came to his profession. She shoved the paper into her jean pocket and placed her boots on. Koga had began to remove the cat from her sweater and place in onto a folded towel on the coffee table. She grabbed her bag once more and was about to head out the door.

"Oh, Moreno-san. Take a jacket, it's quite chilly out there."

"…Right."

S

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It had been about an hour and a half since Koga had sent Rika out. She had managed to find everything on his list at the twenty-four hour supermarket that was about three kilometers from her flat. All of the closer pet shops were obviously not twenty-four hours. If Rika had been debating earlier whether or not to get a car, it was freaking clear she needed one now. All her purchased items were packed into five bags and the cat food was definitely the one thing dragging her down the most. After making it back home, Rika placed the bags by the front door and approached Koga.

"He'll be fine. He had a gash on his side but I was able to stitch it up fairly easily and bandage him up. His left paw was broken so I mended it and wrapped it up as well. Other than that, it doesn't appear he has any other broken bones or ruptured organs. He's a strong cat, I'll give him that much."

"So a 'He', huh? Good to know. But um, what's that?"

The cat was now clean and his fur was once again white which made the weird teal markings underneath his eye finally visible. He let out a yawn and stretched himself over the clean towel underneath him. Koga adjusted his glasses.

"That's what I was wondering as well. He appears to be a Balinese cat but I've never seen a facial pattern like this before."

"Hmm, maybe someone dyed those patches like that?"

"Perhaps… Were you able to find everything on the list?"

"Oh! Yes, I was. But did it have to be that specific brand of cat food? The supermarket only had large bags and it was 4300 yen! I hope I get reimbursed for this."

"Moreno-san, that cat food is the best cat food to get a cat who needs as much nutrients and vitamins as possible to recover from bad injuries. And if you wish to speak about reimbursements, the simple operation I preformed here tonight would cost anywhere around 50,000 yen. That would not include the consultation or surgery prep and don't even get me started on house call fees."

Koga whipped out a writing pad and pen from his jacket.

"Would you like me to draw up a receipt for you?"

"Holy shit, Koga! I kid, I kid. You have no chill, bro."

"Right. Regardless, I want you to bring him in to my clinic tomorrow. I wish to make sure that he is well internally. I gave him a light anesthetic to help with the pain so you should have relatively little problems with him. Find a good place to set up the cat bed and place the food bowl near it. Give him water only, no milk! Change the bandage around his torso in the morning carefully and clean the area around his wound."

Rika made a note of all of Koga's instructions before seeing him off and wishing him a good night. After cleaning up everything, Rika decided to place the bed in her bedroom. She did as Koga instructed and laid the cat gently onto the fluffy white bed. The cat stirred a little and raised his head to look at Rika. Her dark brown orbs met his electric blue ones and Rika couldn't help but feel jealousy over this freaking cat who had more attractive features than hers.

"Well little one, looks like I'll be your new mommy for a while. Now, what should I name you?"


	3. Stop Invading My Bed

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Rika stirred awake as her arm unconsciously smacked her phone off her nightstand, sending it flying across the room. With a heavy sigh she propped herself off the mattress and sat up in bed, rubbing the last bits of sleep out of her eyes. The room was still shrouded in shadows. Longer winter nights also meant shorter winter days, so her usual wake up time of 6 AM would be a lot darker as the season progressed. Rika yawned and stretched out her arms and back before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and onto the shaggy carpet below.

"Oh gosh, I feel so tired…"

Rika had had about five hours of sleep last night but she recalled having a lot less during finals week back at her old university and never feeling this exhausted. Was she coming down with something? Rika shoved that thought out of her head as she got up to fetch her phone, the beeping had to be shut off for good. Eventually, Rika's eyes wandered to the empty cat bed at the far edge of her bedroom next to the door. A wave of panic hit Rika as she frantically looked around the floor for the cat. After spotting nothing, she got on all fours and looked underneath her bed. Again, nothing. Rika next rushed into her walk in closet and began to rummage through any possible nook and cranny a cat could get himself into.

"_Meoooow._"

Rika shot her head up, hitting the shoe rack above her with a loud thud. She let out a cry of pain as she grabbed the back of her head and came out of the closet. Her gaze landed at the bottom of her bed where the white cat was nuzzled into her white sheets. Rika let out a long sigh whilst she continued to rub her head.

"Who the hell said you could sleep in my bed, huh?"

The cat merely yawned and snuggled back into the sheets. Rika looked at her phone, the time being 6:27, Rika knew she'd be late if she didn't hurry. She turned her back to the bed and discarded her pajama shorts and long sleeve blouse, heading for the closet. Left in nothing but her boyshorts, Rika finally felt the cold creep up on her. Rika was reaching for her bra cabinet when she heard a soft _thud_ behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see the cat standing at the door of the closet, staring quite intently at her. Rika felt a shiver run down her spine except she doubted this one was from the cold. The cat continued to stare at Rika as it inched closer, licking his mouth. Perhaps it's thirsty, thought Rika. Without a second thought Rika swung her left leg at the door, slamming it shut without ever turning her body. A loud hiss was heard on the other side.

* * *

"Am I correct to presume that you cleaned the wound and changed the bandages?"

Rika nodded, she had made it to Koga's clinic where he was now checking over the cat once more inside a private room.

"There really wasn't anything to clean. I didn't see any blood so I just dabbed at the area around the stiches."

"I see… well that's fine. Has he been eating?"

"Well he hasn't eaten any of the cat food but he did help himself to my bowl of oatmeal while I got up to get a banana."

"He ate oatmeal? Why did you let him eat oatmeal?"

"I didn't let him! Little punk snuck onto the table when I wasn't looking and devoured my food!"

"Oh, so he's jumping around. That's splendid! He's recovering quickly."

"Yeah, he managed to jump on my bed last night."

"Did it have milk?"

"What?!"

"The oatmeal. Did it have milk?"

"Oh! Just a little. I cooked it in water but added a splash of milk to cool it down afterwards."

"Hmm, let's hope it won't cause problems. Avoid leaving dairy products around in the future."

"Why?"

"Well Moreno-san, contrary to popular belief, cats shouldn't be drinking milk in the first place, unless it's their mother's. Many cats are lactose intolerant and so digesting milk could possibly lead to vomiting or diarrhea. Some cats can drink it on occasion but it does them no favors nor is it necessary to their diet."

"…I will remember that."

"I would like to perform some scans on him, should take no more than a couple of hours."

"That's fine, I'll leave him to you then. I'll be back after one to pick him up."

"You're not staying?"

"I can't Koga-kun, I have to get to class. I've got about half an hour to get there."

Rika put on her coat and grabbed her bag. Waving as she left the room and continued on to school.

Rika had barely made it to campus on time and rushed to make it to class before her professor. Karakura University for Technology and Engineering was a very large campus that spanned well over 150 acers of land that ran along the Onose and Karasu rivers on the point where they converged. Rika had been attending the university for almost a year now and she would still manage to get lost form time to time. Today though, she was determined to find her way quick. When Rika finally reached her class, a majority of her peers were already there and seated. Rika looked around for an available seat when someone called out to her. On the other side of the room near the middle, a tall snowy haired boy was waving at her. Rika hastily made her way to the guy, being careful not to trip over anything.

"Thanks for saving me a seat Yashiro-kun, I thought I'd have to sit on the floor."

"Sure thing Rika-chan. Although you called it quite close today. Good thing the professor is running late too. Everything ok?"

"Well I saved a cat from being burned alive last night."

Yashiro's eyebrows darted up as Rika began to recount her escapades from the previous night. Unfortunately, their professor decided to show up and Rika halted the story. Now it was just another normal start to another normal day.

After class, Rika and Yashiro had joined a couple of friends by the river to enjoy some drinks while she retold her story. Izumi, a very tall and slender girl with dark, straight hair had asked what his name was.

"I haven't given much thought to that actually. I don't think I should name him since I'm not going to be keeping him for long."

"Why not? Don't you like cats, Rika-chan?"

"Well, yeah I guess. Do you want him, Izumi-chan?"

"No thanks, I already have two cats and three dogs. That's more than enough. What about you, Manny-kun?"

Manny, an extremely tall and well built guy with brown curly locks, took a moment to think about that suggestion.

"I wouldn't mind. Has the cat been registered yet, Rika?"

"No, not yet. I hadn't even thought of that either. I'll ask my vet about it when I see him later. So you're interested? He's a very pretty cat."

"Yeah, I like cats. I've always wanted a pet but I've never been good at keeping things alive. Not even plants."

Rika chocked on her drink at his words, Yashiro laughed out and clasped his hand on Manny's shoulder.

"Then why you want a cat, man? Besides, isn't your roommate allergic to animals?"

Manny frowned,

"That's right. I forgot about that. Sorry Rika, I can't take the cat after all. Not until I get a different roommate anyway."

"That's fine, Manny. Don't worry about it. I'll figure out what to do."

Yashiro clasped his hand together.

"Time's up guys, next class starts in ten."

The quartet finished off their drinks and split up. Rika had three more classes to go before her release at one. Her next class was with Manny so she simply followed him. Her third class was with Izumi and her last class was with all three of them. Rika was still feeling the effects of the lack of sleep from the previous night. Her body felt drained and her bones seemed to have gained weight overnight. Just a few more hours and Rika would be able to go pick up the cat.

It was around 1:30 by the time Rika had made it back to the clinic. Upon entering she was surprised to see a familiar face apart from Koga.

"Sado-kun, what are you doing here? Why aren't you in school?"

Sado Yasutora was sitting in the lobby. He got up and bowed to Rika. It didn't matter how many times Rika told him he didn't have to be so formal, Sado always treated her with a lot of respect. Rika still smiled fondly at him and walked over.

"Hello Rika-senpai. I found a squirrel with a broken paw. So I left school and brought him in."

He pointed to a box on the chair next to him. Rika looked inside and, sure enough, a small, brown and fluffy squirrel was laying inside with a small blanket. Rika's smile grew more, Sado was such a warm hearted individual. He was just like Manny, though on the outside but big teddy bears on the inside. They both actually stood at about the same height as well. Sado was probably taller by about half an inch if Rika had to guess. Sado followed to ask Rika what had brought her to the clinic and Rika told Sado what had happened as well. After the nurses had taken in the squirrel, Rika invited Sado to go in with her to meet the cat. He happily accepted. Koga had met the duo and led them to the private room once more. After another five minutes, he had arrived again with a cage. He placed the cage on top of the vet bed and opened it. The white cat walked out.

"I took several x-rays and CT scans as well as some blood work. Everything seems to be in order and even his leg seems to be mending itself at a fairly fast rate. The stitches are dissolvable so we won't need to worry about bandaging him up any longer."

"Thank you, Koga-kun. I did want to ask though, is it necessary to register him?"

"If you plan on keeping him, yes. I can provide all the paperwork you will need. I have already given him all the appropriate shots he needs so that step is taken care of."

"Oh no, I don't plan on keeping him."

"In that case, leave him here and we'll register him to an animal shelter. They'll take care of the rest."

"Oh, so he has to go to an animal shelter? Is that his only option?"

"Yes, what other options did you think existed?"

"I just thought he might be able to be adopted by a family."

"He will have that opportunity, once he's at the shelter."

"I'll take him. I have a friend who might be interested in adopting him once he rearranges some things. If not, I'll bring him back."

"Very well. Although you will have to name him so that we can give him a temporary registration under your name."

Rika thought about possible names for the cat. As did Sado, but nothing seemed quite right. Koga had suggested calling him Shiro.

"Oh well that's very original, Koga-kun. Why don't we just call him Yuki since snow is white as well…"

Koga glared at Rika through his round glasses, Rika jumped back a little and apologized multiple types to the young doctor. Thankfully, Sado had interrupted the increasingly hostile environment Rika had unintentionally created.

"How about Pantera? His face sort of resembles one."

"Yes! That's perfect, Sado-kun. It fits him well. Pantera it is!"

Koga looked thoroughly confused.

"Pante-what?"

Rika explained how Pantera was Spanish for panther. He too agreed that this was a fitting name for the feline. Naturally though, Koga was not done asking questions.

"So you know Spanish, Moreno-san?"

"Yes. My parents are Costa Rican so Spanish was actually my first language."

"Oh, I was under the impression that you were Canadian."

"I am, well I was actually born in Victoria, Australia since my father was working there and my mother was with him at the time of my birth but I was raised in Canada."

Sado fallowed to ask,

"So you're actually Australian?"

"Well nationality wise, yes. But I am both Australian and Canadian since I hold dual citizenship. Ethnically though, I am Costa Rican like my parents."

As Koga and Sado came to terms with her somewhat odd roots, Rika decided to shove Pantera back into his cage. After getting some final instructions from Koga, Sado and Rika walked back to Karakura high school since Sado was determined to finish the rest of his school day. After dropping him off, Rika continued on her way to Kurosaki Clinic for her Tuesday shift. Maybe she would be able to leave Pantera to play with Yuzu. Karin would probably use him as a mop so Yuzu was the safest bet.

* * *

Rika had finally arrived home around 10 and she felt the weight of the day catching up to her. Once inside her flat, Rika released Pantera who immediately ran off to hide under the couch. As it turned out, Pantera wasn't too friendly when it came to socializing. When Yuzu had tried to pet him, he scratched her hand and run off to hide. It took Rika an hour to locate him, finally finding him in the kitchen pantry. He seemed to prefer dark places to hide so Rika just left him. She went to her bedroom and began to remove her clothing, intending to take a shower. Once she was down to her bra and boyshorts, she noticed Pantera standing halfway through the bedroom door staring intently at her once more.

"You're a nosy little punk, you know that?"

Pantera turned his head almost as if to say _screw you_ whilst never actually letting Rika out of his sight. Rika, in turn, walked to her closet and grabbed a new panty, her PJ shorts, a grey tank top and her towel. She arranged the articles of clothing inside her bathroom and placed her towel on the hook behind the door. She looked out into the bedroom once more to see Pantera was now in the middle of the floor. She warned him not to break anything and shut the bathroom door closed. After her shower, Rika felt tremendously more rejuvenated and her body didn't ache as much. While waiting for her hair to dry, Rika made a small meal of sautéed mushrooms and stir fried beef with veggies. Rika was enjoying her late night super when Pantera pounced onto the table and dashed for her plate. Rika instinctively raised her plate and shoved Pantera down with her free hand. He tumbled over from the impact and nearly fell off the table.

"You have your own food you annoying ball of fluff!"

Pantera began to meow loudly without any stop until Rika finally snapped. She grabbed his bowl of food and returned the cat kibble back into the bag. Deciding that a sick quite cat was better than a healthy loud one, Rika took the leftovers and poured it into his bowl, setting it on the kitchen floor. Pantera jumped off the table and found the bowl, he began to nibble at it before taking large chunks at a time. Finally at peace, Rika returned to finish her meal before heading to bed. She put Pantera in his bed and moved onto hers. Setting her alarm for the following morning, Rika enveloped herself in her sheets and felt herself drift off to sleep.

Rika awoke to the same beeping the following morning. This time though she turned the alarm off successfully without sending her phone flying. Rika lay there in bed, feeling extremely exhausted and deprived of energy. Her entire body ached and she could hardly muster up the strength to sit up properly. She felt like there were multiple bags of lead on top of her body. There was an odd warmth over her torso so she forced herself up using her elbows. Pantera was sitting on her stomach, looking at her with his intense blue eyes, the teal markings on his face seemed to be slightly expanding.

"You little shit, what are you doing up here? Get off me."

Rika shoved Pantera off and sat up completely. She got up and walked over to the full length mirror drilled onto her bedroom door. She flicked on the lights and took a good look. Her hair seemed messier than normal and she seemed to have developed light bags under her eyes. Other than that, everything was normal, at least on the outside anyway. Rika quickly got ready for school and made bacon, eggs and French toast for breakfast. Once more she gave the left overs to Pantera and left for class. The cat would be fine on his own, he had everything he needed.

Rika made it to class with time to spare. Like always, she sat next to Yashiro who kept stealing glances at her. After about the ninth time, she turned and locked eyes with him. His grey orbs widened in surprise.

"Are you ok Rika-chan? Do you feel ok?"

"Yeah, Yashiro-kun. Why do you ask?"

"Because you're olive toned and I've never seen someone olive toned look so pale."

Rika was taken aback by his statement. Did she really look that pale? Rika hadn't even noticed. She went through the rest of her day like normal. Her friends kept asking if she was ok or if she needed anything and even though she felt almost drained of energy, she continued to insist she was fine. Work was easier, Isshin and Yuzu were preoccupied with the clinic just like she was and Karin was off playing soccer with her friends. Ichigo was nowhere to be seen again. Rika guessed he was off enjoying his Shinigami powers. Neither Isshin nor Yuzu had noticed anything and Rika was grateful for that. Work ran smoothly and she returned home early. Rika worked on assignments for a couple of hours before eating, showering and heading off to bed. Sleep seemed to be the only relief she got from the feeling of exhaustion that never seemed to go went away.

Come Friday morning, Rika was in absolute misery. Now she had noticed how pale she was getting. Rika had decided to skip school for today and just stay in bed. Moving around became a difficult task, her bones felt so weak that Rika was afraid one bad move would break her. She spent the rest of the morning in bed, not bothering to change out of her sleeping garments. Pantera jumped onto the bed and sat beside her.

"Why do you keep invading my bed, huh? I'm getting tired of having to shove you off every morning."

Pantera eyed her carefully and laid his head to rest besides hers. Rika dozed off once more and awoke around 2 feeling worse than before. She picked up her phone and noticed she had quite a few missed calls and unopened texts from her friends. Rika dragged herself out of bed and into the closet, changed into something light and easy and went to freshen up in the bathroom. Rika was at her door when she heard several bangs. She opened the door and there stood Manny, Izumi and Yashiro. Izumi gasped and wrapped her hands around Rika's face.

"Rika-chan, look at you! What happened?!"

Rika saw the tears in Izumi's eyes and the fear on Manny's and Yashiro's faces. These guys, she thought, are golden. Rika let out a soft sigh.

"I don't know."

Rika tried to move but felt her feet almost give out under her. Manny and Yashiro grabbed onto her, one on each side. She told them she wanted to go to Kurosaki Clinic where she worked so that she could talk to her boss and see what was going on. All three agreed to go with her and they helped her down the stairs and into Izumi's car. Once at the clinic, Izumi and Yashiro went inside to fetch Isshin while Manny stayed in the car with Rika. After a few minutes Isshin came out and looked into the car. Rika looked up at him and waved. He helped get Rika inside and laid her on one of the beds. He checked all her vitals as well as examining her spine, eyes, ears and neck.

"Everything seems to be functioning normally…"

He had a worried and confused look on his face.

"You say you've been feeling exhausted? Very tired all the time and you can hardly move at all?"

Rika nodded slowly.

"I can't seem to find anything wrong. Your temperature is normal as is your heart rate and breathing patterns. I'm going to take some blood and see if this might perhaps be a thyroid infection or anything else blood bourn. I should get the results as early as tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, I would like for you to stay here at the clinic."

"Its fine, Isshin-sama. I would like to go home though. I would feel more comfortable in my own bed."

Isshin reluctantly agreed to let her go back home. After taking some blood, Isshin instructed Rika not to partake in any heavy activity and to get plenty of rest and to not let herself become dehydrated. As he said goodbye, he warned the kids to be careful for a storm had moved into the area. Rika's friends brought her back to her flat and spent the rest of the evening with her. It was nice to be with them like this, even if Rika couldn't do much she greatly appreciated their company. Around eight Rika said goodbye to the trio. Izumi insisted she could stay with Rika for the night but Rika refused. She convinced her friends that she would be fine and sent them off. After taking a bath and getting ready for bed, Rika tried to work on some assignments but after discovering she couldn't even focus on her reading she decided to sleep. As Rika adjusted herself on her bed Pantera made his way into the bedroom and to his bed. Rika hoped he'd finally stay there tonight. It wasn't long before Rika had drifted off into deep sleep.

* * *

Rika woke to a start, loud thunder had been the culprit. Her room was still dark, Rika forced her arm to pick up her phone. It was 5:23 AM. Rika's eyes widened in fear as the images before her became distorted. Her arm fell to her side along with the phone. Rika felt a surging pain from inside her that shook her to her core. Every inch of her skin seemed to be set on fire. Her bones were heavier than ever before and she felt as if something had sucked the life right out of her. Rika used as much strength as she could muster to sit up in bed. Her head felt dizzy as she moved her body to the other side of the bed to turn on the lamp on the other nightstand. Rika caught a glimpse of the bathroom and terror filled the pit of her stomach. There was something in the bathroom. It was much darker than the darkness around it. Rika was frozen, she stared at the dark thing, trying to convince herself that she was just seeing things because of her deteriorating health.

Within a second the figure had vanished from the bathroom and appeared beside the lamp she was reaching for on the side of the bed. Rika screamed as she threw herself backwards, falling off the other side. She dragged her arms against the carpet, forcing her body to move towards the door. She had made it halfway across the floor when she looked up and saw Pantera was not in his bed. Had he hidden under her bed? Rika had no time to think anything as she felt something grab the hair on the back of her head and drag her up. Rika cried in pain as she was dragged across the floor to the door and then forced to stand up. She saw her reflection in the mirror. Her skin was paler than she had ever seen it and the bags under her eyes were very noticeable now. She might as well have been close to death. Rika also saw the figure behind her. It was pitch black and about a foot larger than her. She saw some sort of appendage came from it and wrap itself around her neck. The thing held its tight grip on her hair and pulled her head back. The grip on the appendage strengthened.

Rika could feel that the longer this thing held onto her, the quicker her life was slipping away from her. Rika tried to free herself, every move she tried caused her agonizing pain but she tried nonetheless. She grabbed the thing around her neck and dug her nails into it, hoping to pry it off. It was warm and felt almost gelatin like. The thing just gripped on harder and shoved her into the mirror with enough force to shatter it. Rika felt shards of glass cutting into her. In a last ditch effort she grabbed a shard from the mirror and stabbed in into whatever part of this thing she managed to hit. The figure immediately let go and Rika twisted the doorknob, fleeing from the room. She ran to the front door as best she could. Everything was spinning around her but Rika managed to reach the door and unlock it. A bright lightning bolt erupted from the sky, casting momentarily light around everything followed by a deafening thunder strike. Rika rushed down the wet stairs, slipping on the final two and crashing down. She wasted no time, pain was pulsating through every fiber of her body. She forced herself up and slammed into Koga's door.

"Koga! Please open! HELP ME! KOGA!"

Her voice sounded shrill and weak, her pounding not as hard as she hoped it to be. From the corner of her eye she saw the figure underneath the staircase. Rika let her tears run freely now as she began to run away from the dark figure. In a city that never seemed to sleep, there was no one out on a stormy night like this. Rika's tears were lost to the rain that pounded onto her. Rika carried on. She looked behind her every once in a while only to see the figure keeping a close distance. Her head continued to spin and she forced her way through the streets. Rika had to get to Ichigo's place. She went down an ally she could barely recognized but new that it cut a faster way to the clinic.

Rika looked behind her once more and saw the figure was almost at her heels. She tried to force herself to move faster. Rika hadn't noticed the crates in front of her path and tripped over them. Her body hurled forward, crashing into the crates and knocking them over. Her body hit the hard concrete with a thump, crates shattering around her. Rika pushed herself up and finally saw the crimson color of the puddle beneath her. From the glass to her fall and now this, Rika finally felt the wounds. She dragged herself up once more and leaned on the wall for support. The figure was upon her now, Rika was done. Her vision began to fade as she felt herself lose control of her body. Rika was gone before she hit the ground.

* * *

"It's Saturday, Tessai. Don't you just love Saturdays? I love Saturdays!"

Tessai nodded as he continued to sweep the water that had come into the shop from the doors. Kisuke Urahara watched on as he brought his fan out and swatted air onto his face.

"Well what's the point of that? It's going to keep raining all day."

"Well perhaps if you had actually informed me that the slits of the doors had eroded to this state, then I wouldn't have to be doing this right now."

Kisuke put his arms out defensively and laughed it off. He wasn't about to let a few drops of rain water ruin his perfect Saturday.

"URAHARA!"

Kisuke and Tessai turned their attention to the now open doors, Jinta was standing in-between them with an umbrella in his hand.

"Urahara! I went out to put a tarp in front of the door like Tessai asked but out there! In front of the shop under the lamppost! C'mon!"

Kisuke and Tessai looked at one another before following Jinta out the door. Jinta pointed to the other side of the street to the lamppost. Kisuke's eyes widened as he saw what was leaning against it. All three ran towards the post. It was a body. The body of a young black haired girl. Someone had placed her body to lean against the post, her legs tucked to the side beneath her. She was covered in blood and filth. The rain hadn't seemed to be able to wash it all off

"Kisuke, this is Kurosaki's friend. The girl Isshin hired to work at his clinic."

Urahara looked up at Tessai and then at the girl. He crouched down in front of her and studied her face. His eyes saddened.

"Indeed it is. Please get her inside, Tessai. Jinta, go let Kurosaki-san know what has happened."


	4. New Profile

**Author's Note****: Wow! Thank you to everyone who has read my story and thank you to everyone who had Favorited and/or Followed. It is a huge motivation to see that people actually enjoy this story. I also wish to thank XD-kaycee for letting me know about the Horizontal Line thingy and for reviewing. Also, please feel free to post a review, constructive criticism and feedback is more than welcome! **

* * *

Ichigo's heart beat fast against his chest as he rushed to Urahara's shop. His breath was quick and controlled, keeping his stamina up and going as fast as his body allowed him to. Jinta's words still fresh in his mind,

_"__It's that girl who works for your dad, we found her this morning…"_

Those had been his words over the phone earlier, now Ichigo was overwhelmed with panic since Jinta had failed to explain what had happened. Ichigo saw the shop a little ways ahead and wasted no time in closing the distance and letting himself in.

"Where is she?!"

Jinta and Ururu jumped at Ichigo's rash entrance. They both pointed towards the back of the shop. Ichigo let himself into the rest of the house and spotted Tessai sitting in the hallway.

"Kurosaki-san. It's good to see you again, follow me."

Ichigo followed Tessai as he led him through the house to a room in the back that Ichigo recognized as the room that lead to the garden in the back yard. Tessai kept his hands on the door handles, turning to Ichigo.

"Please, Kurosaki-san, I know you are worried but try to keep your calm. It's very disturbing what has happened but we are all trying to hold ourselves together."

Ichigo nodded and gulped hard as Tessai pulled open the doors. Ichigo looked around and saw Urahara and Yoruichi standing by the sliding balcony door and Chad and Orihime kneeling by a shikifuton. Orihime looked up and slightly frowned.

"Kurosaki-kun… She's doing better. I'm not done yet, though. But she's a lot better now. I'm sorry I can't do more."

Orihime had her Soten Kisshun spread over the shikifuton. Ichigo came in closer and fell to his knees beside Orihime. Rika was laying completely still on the shikibuton, the only visible movement was the heaving of her chest from under the blanket she was covered in. Her forehead and left cheek were bandaged as well as her entire neck. There was a dark bruise under her left eye and the left corner of her mouth was busted open. Urahara kneeled on the opposite side from Ichigo and took of his hat.

"When we brought her in, we found she was still breathing so we had Ururu call for Inoue-chan right away. Yoruichi and I managed to clean her up and treat as many of the wounds we could. Apart from what you see, she also has multiple stab wounds and bruises all over her body as well as a broken ankle and fractured arm."

"How did this happen? Was she attacked?!"

"It appears so. Inoue-chan will be able to heal a good majority of her wounds, but-"

"We have to find the people that did this! I won't let them get away!"

Yoruichi flash stepped behind Ichgio and slammed his head on the floor.

"Will you be quiet!? There's no need to yell, Ichigo. No mere mortal did this to Rika."

Yoruichi released Ichigo as he pondered on her words. _No mere mortal…_ What was that supposed to me? Urahara cleared his throat and placed his hat back on.

"Like I was saying, Inoue-chan will be able to heal a majority of her wounds, but her spiritual energy is something that won't be regained so easily. Inoue-chan will have to be at it for quite some time."

Ichigo couldn't understand what Urahara meant by her spiritual energy. If Rika's attackers weren't human than what the hell was going on. Yoruichi sat crisscrossed at the top of Rika's shikibuton as she placed a hand on Rika's head.

"What we mean to tell you, Ichigo, is that whatever attacked Rika is not human. Not only was she savagely attacked but she was also drained of almost all her spiritual energy. She's lucky to be alive."

"So a hollow attacked her?"

"No. A hollow would have devoured her completely. This is the work of a parasitic like monster. A monster that attaches itself to a host and drains it of life."

Ichigo's eyes widened, he couldn't think of any type of hollow that had such abilities. He couldn't think of any type of creature who could do something like that either. What the hell were they dealing with? It had struck Ichigo then, Yoruichi's words and what they meant.

"A parasite… So then this thing could very well still be out there?"

"Yes. It most definitely is. There is also something else that bothers me about all this…"

Yoruichi sat up and removed her hand from Rika's head.

"Whatever did this is a conscious beast. Urahara, you said Jinta found Rika outside across the street leaning against the lamppost, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Our culprit has some knowledge of what we are. It obviously didn't want to kill Rika. I imagine it had the opportunity but instead it decided to bring Rika here of all places. This thing knows who we are and knew we would be able to help her."

This was an unsettling theory to Ichigo. If Yoruichi was correct, this meant that Rika's attacker might be something they had come in contact with in the past. Something that knew Urahara was capable of helping Rika, something that new that there were Shinigami in Karakura and that Urahara Shop was the best place to find them. What troubled Ichigo the most was that this thing knew who they were but they had no idea of what it was. Urahara clapped his hands together and stood.

"Right then! Here's our profile. We're looking for who knows what, with the ability to eat spiritual energy and who knows who we are and what we do. Keep your senses open, kiddos, we might just be lucky and catch a break the next time it decides to strike. Inoue-chan! Would you be able to stay here until Rika-chan is healed?"

"Yes! Of course, I'm working from the inside out. After her bones are mended I should be able to take care of her skin wounds fairly easily. Then it's just a matter of time before I can fully restore her spirit energy."

"That's great, take your time. You're under no pressure."

Chad had risen from his seat on the other side of Orihime and went to stand in front of Kisuke.

"Urahara-san, on Tuesday I saw Rika-chan at the vet's. She had a cat with her and it was odd."

"Really? How so, Sado-san?"

"I didn't pay much mind to it at first but it did strike me odd. When I saw the cat I felt a weird spiritual pressure coming from it. It felt much distorted, I had never sensed an animal like that. It reminded me of the weak, animal-like hollows of Hueco Mundo."

"Sado-san, are you sure about this?! How did Rika-chan come across this cat?"

"I have no doubts, it was a very similar spiritual pressure. She told me she had rescued the cat from some middle schoolers who tried to burn it."

Ichigo and Orihime looked at one another and then at Chad. Yoruichi placed her hand on Rika's head once more and closed her eyes.

"If this was by any chance the work of a hollow, I'll be able to pick up at least a minor fragment of its spiritual pressure from Rika's energy. Orihime, please pause your Soten Kisshun."

Orihime did as she was told and retrieved Ayame and Shun'o to their clip forms. After a few moments of complete silence, Yoruichi finally opened her eyes. She let go of Rika and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Shit, it's a hollow alright. This is no ordinary hollow though, the pressure is that of an Arrancar's."

Everyone was stunned into silence. Ichigo couldn't begin to fathom how an Arrancar could have possibly made its way to Karakura and attached itself to Rika.

"Then was it that cat? Was the cat the Arrancar?!"

Urahara nodded,

"From what Sado-san and Yoruichi said, it sure looks that way. I wouldn't doubt that a few Arrancars might have survived after Aizen's defeat. I also don't doubt that they may have managed to find a way into the world of the living. Ok! New profile! We're looking for a- what color was the cat, Sado-san?"

"White."

"-white cat! This cat has the ability to eat spiritual energy and knows who we are and what we do. Yoruichi! May Inoue-chan return to healing Rika-chan?"

Yoruichi nodded.

"Inoue-chan, as you were."

Orihime quickly summoned Soten Kisshun back out and surrounded Rika in it's warm, orange glow, starting the healing process once again. Ichigo's fists curled in anger. He was angry because he wasn't able to protect Rika. He had promised to protect her from anything and yet here she was, almost at death's door. Ichigo made a resolve to find the Arrancar who had done this to Rika and make him regret ever laying a hand on her.

"Yoruichi, will you help us locate this Arrancar?"

Yoruichi nodded at Ichigo. Urahara stretched his back and yawned, he gave the group a small grin.

"Well, Rika-chan will be fine as long as Inoue-chan is here. And while you three are out scouting, I think I'll let the Soul Society know that there is an Arrancar on the loose in quiet, little Karakura Town. They might be interested in the news as well. Who knows, they might even send a squad to help locate the bastard."


	5. I Saw You Die

**A/N: It has been a long time since I last updated and for that I offer my sincerest apologies. I did eventually get my laptop fixed and even after that I didn't continue writing. I had been down because of a dumb, petty and abusive review I got for this story and I lost my inspiration. I thought that if I returned to reading Bleach then maybe I could find my muse again. Eventually I realized that just because of some anonymous jerk online who didn't enjoy my story, that did not mean that were not others out there who did. Thank you to everyone who has given my story a chance and thank you for your patience. During the time I spent away from writing I began to read Bleach once more, this time finishing it. Since I now know how the story continues after the anime I am not sure whether to try and mold my story more or less to match the events or continue on with an original non canonical plot. My biggest fear is spoiling Kubo's story for those who have not continued the series after the end of the anime. Even though I am aware we are not supposed to necessarily do this, please let me know your opinions either in the reviews section or by sending me messages. Thank you for taking time to read my story and once again, I am sorry for such a long wait.**

* * *

It had been two days since Rika had been attacked by what Yoruichi believed to be an Arrancar and Ichigo had continued to look for the bastard that had nearly killed her. While Chad and Orihime had attended school, Ichigo had sent Kon in his place. Ichigo didn't like the idea of having Kon inhabit his body in such a public place but he didn't have any other options. Besides, Chad would be able to keep Kon under wraps if he got too crazy. So would Uryu, but Ichigo thought perhaps Uryu would enjoy seeing Kon make a fool out of Ichigo in front of their entire class.

The Quincy hadn't taken his exclusion from the events of the weekend very positively. In fact, that Monday morning before class when Orihime informed Uryu of what had happened to Rika, Uryu was downright outraged that no one had bothered to contact him. It wasn't like they hadn't wanted to include him, Uryu had just slipped their minds. He seemed to have gotten even angrier after Ichigo tried to explain this to him which is when Ichigo took his leave and left Kon in his place.

Yoruichi and Ichigo had continued to look for any signs of an Arrancar, all the while coming across other normal Hollows and disposing of them quickly. At the moment, Ichigo was looking around the area of Karakura Hospital. Yoruichi said the hospital might be a good place to look if the Arrancar was still looking for more spiritual energy to harvest. So far though, Ichigo could sense nothing out of the ordinary. Ichigo stood at the top of the hospital as he thought of Rika. Orihime had successfully restored Rika's spiritual energy but she had as of yet been able to wake up. Urahara had said it was just a matter of time but Ichigo was still worried, he wouldn't rest easy until Rika was up and about and the bastard that had hurt her was caught.

There had been a lot of clean up to do with Rika's neighbor. Apparently, that Koga guy had flipped out when he noticed Rika was gone and after he inspected her flat. Ichigo didn't blame the poor guy, he had been in the flat as well and there was blood and obvious signs of a struggle everywhere. Luckly, Urahara had managed to get to him before he had a chance to alert the authorities and blanked his memories. Koga currently believed that Rika was out of town on a school related trip.

Yoruichi had been disappointed that there hadn't seemed to be any further clues as to help them find the Arrancar at Rika's place. The only thing he and Yoruichi had been going on with was any abnormal amounts of spiritual pressure being released. So far though, everything they had found had led to a dead end. However, Ichigo was not about to give in he would keep looking until he found the damn parasitic Arrancar.

"What the hell was that?!"

Ichigo looked around. He had sensed a very strong spiritual pressure coming from the north. Ichigo wasted no time as he flew off the building and headed northeast.

"There it is again!"

Another large spike of pressure had been released. Ichigo tried to concentrate solely on the last spike, hoping to get a more precise location. _Come on, one more time!_

"That's all I need!"

_YES!_ By the third spike of spiritual pressure, Ichigo had pinpointed an almost exact location of where the source was. Ichigo didn't have very far to go. He sensed that the spiritual pressure was coming from around the abandoned Matsukura Hospital. By the time Ichigo had arrived in the vicinity of the hospital, there was no longer any signs of the strong spiritual pressure.

"Damn it…"

Ichigo waited patiently as he quietly roamed the hospital grounds looking for anything out of the ordinary. From the corner of his eye, Ichigo saw a blur of grey dart away from a wall and around another corner. Ichigo flash stepped after the blur, following it as it raced across the grounds. It was fast and Ichigo was having a hard time keeping up with it.

"Forget this…"

Ichigo drew his Zanpakuto and slashed it in the direction of the blur, hitting the building as well. Smoke and ruble filled the air as Ichigo cautiously approached the enemy, Zanpakuto at the ready. As the ruble began to clear, Ichigo felt a tremendous release of spiritual pressure. Ichigo's eyes drew wide open as he tried hard to keep his hands from shaking.

"Th-that's impossible…'

A tall figure cloaked in grey stood by the wall with his back facing Ichigo. The figure turned his head to look over at the Shinigami, allowing Ichigo to see what appeared to be a white, jaw-like structure on the man's face.

"How can you... Grimmjow?"

The blue haired Espada removed the hood of his cloak and turned towards Ichigo completely. He gave Ichigo a stern look and moved his hand inside his cloak, taking a hold of his Zanpakuto.

"Kurosaki, you bastard!"

Grimmjow snarled at Ichigo as he got into a fighting stance. Ichigo jumped back, leaving room between him and the Espada.

"I saw you die! How can you be here?!"

"DIE?! Did you honestly think that bastard Nnoitra could kill me?! Even now you dare to look down on me with that damn condescending face!"

"I don't understand. How are you here?!"

"I came through a Garganta! Those damn lower level Hollows are creating them all the time. It wasn't hard sneaking through."

Ichigo held on tighter to his Zanpakuto, drawing it in Grimmjow's direction.

"Why are you here? What possible purpose could you have in the world of the living?!"

"I was down for some time, Hollow energy don't heal you up as good as human energy."

Ichigo felt himself freeze as a wave of realization pounded onto him.

"It was you. You're the one who hurt Rika!"

Grimmjow raised his left brow.

"What the hell…? You mean that woman I drained a couple days ago? You knew her, huh? It was nothing personal, bitch was just at the wrong place at the right time. Nothing more, nothing less."

"GRIMMJOW, YOU BASTARD!"

Ichigo flew at Grimmjow, Zanpakuto flying through the air. Grimmjow unsheathed his Zanpakuto in time to block Ichigo's attack. Sparks flew from both blades as Ichigo and Grimmjow were pushed away from each other.

"So you wanna fight me over that women? Fine by me. If she's still alive, I think I'll go track her down and thank her after finishing you off. Her spiritual energy was more than enough to get my body back!"

Ichigo felt his blood boil as he began to summon his energy and direct it into his Zanpakuto.

"Getsuga Tensh-"

"HALT!"

Startled, both Ichigo and Grimmjow looked above them to see another Shinigami standing over the wall. Ichigo's eyes widened as he saw the all too familiar white haori of a captain. Kensei Muguruma stood above the duo, arms crossed over his chest.

"That's enough of a confession to find you guilty, Espada! Isn't that right, Hisagi?"

Within seconds, Shuhei Hisagi stood a few mere feet away from Grimmjow, his Zanpakuto at the Espada's throat.

"That's correct Captain Muguruma! Don't try anything Espada, you're surrounded!"

Ichigo looked around and where once was empty space now stood many familiar faces. Grimmjow had indeed been completely surrounded. No faster had Grimmjow tried to strike Shuhei when another blade had been pressed against his throat. Ikkaku Madarame now stood behind Grimmjow, smirking his signature grin.

"Don't even think about it, we got ya trapped. Make a wrong move and your head will roll right of your body."

Ichigo looked up at Kensei.

"Kensei! What's going on? What are you doing here?"

Kensei jumped off the wall and landed close to Ichigo.

"That's Captain Muguruma, Kurosaki. I'm here to oversee the arrest of this Espada. Ayasegawa!"

Yumichika stepped forward from behind Ichigo. Renji and Mashiro stayed behind, flanking the group on each side assuring Grimmjow had nowhere to escape through.

"Bind him quickly!"

Yumichika pointed out his index finger as he approached Grimmjow.

"Yes, Captain. Bakudo No. 1, Sai!"

Grimmjow dropped his Zanpkuto as his arms were forced to interlock behind his back. The Espada grunted in frustration as his knees hit the floor.

"You fucking bastards! Release me!"

Kensei leaned over Grimmjow.

"I, Captain Kensei Muguruma of Squad Nine, here by mark your arrest. You will be transported back to Soul Society where you will await a trail by Central 46 for the attempted murder of one Moreno Rika."

Ichigo was utterly dumbfounded. Since when did Central 46 hold trials for Arrancars? Ichigo felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking back, Ichigo came face to face with Renji.

"Relax Ichigo, we've got this."

Kensei stood up straight once more and walked away from Grimmjow.

''Madareme. Hisagi. Take hold of the Espada.''

Ikkaku and Shuhei each grabbed one of Grimmjow's bound arms. They forcefully pulled him up and pushed him forward, making the Espada walk. Kensei walked ahead of the group.

''Let's get back to Urahara's shop. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can make our way to back to Soul Society.''


	6. She's A Tough Cookie

Rika began to feel her mind awaken, seeing the light behind the lids of her eyes. She slowly opened her eyes and stirred slightly. Rika felt a harsh throbbing sensation in her chest, almost as if an engine inside her was being cranked on after years of gathering dust. Rika took note of her surroundings and began to panic, she sat up gingerly and looked around cautiously. She looked around the small room, empty besides a coffee table and desk on the opposite wall as well as a mahogany grandfather clock against the wall in front of her. Rika had no clue where she was and this frightened her greatly. She then noticed that her clothing had changed as well. She now wore a black, loose fitting, long sleeved shirt and soft, light blue sleeping shorts.

Why was she there? Where exactly was "there" and how did she get there? Who had changed her?! Rika tried to stand and unwrap herself from the folds of the shikibuton she was in but to no avail. Her arms and legs gave out beneath her and a feeling of exhaustion filled her body. Rika felt sore down to the core of her bones as she managed to roll onto her back once more.

_Stay calm, whatever is going on just stay calm…_

Rika kept repeating this thought as she tried to retrace her memories and figure out how she had ended up in this room she did not recognize. As hard as she tried she just could not remember what had happened after the loud clap of thunder had frightened her awake. She remembered being terrified of something and then lots of pain but she could put no images to the emotions. Rika heard a creak and looked towards the sliding door parallel to her. Her eyes widened as she saw a head of long orange hair peep through.

"Inoue…"

Inoue Orihime looked startled at Rika but then broke out into a large, cheerful smile. She ran into the room, school uniform and all and kneeled beside Rika.

"Oh, Rika-chan! What a relief that you're awake. It's been two days!"

Rika forcefully leaned up at that information,

"Two days?! Inoue, what's going on? Where are we?"

Inoue looked confused at Rika's exasperated expression.

"You were hurt Rika-chan, so I healed you. We're at Urahara-san's shop."

"Urahara? The creepy blonde dude who got kicked out of that soul society and now runs that shaggy looking shop?"

There was a loud chuckle at the door. Rika and Orihime looked up to see said man standing at the door way, hat and all.

"I see my reputation precedes me. Although I do find it odd that of all my accomplishments to date, you seem to connect me with that specific one. Well that goes to show how I am discussed of outside this house hold."

Urahara chuckled again and entered the room, kneeling down next to Orihime and removing his hat.

"It's ok, Moreno-san, you are safe here. You were in a very bad accident and were brought here to get help. Please rest assured that no harm will come to you here. I am sure Orihime's presence alone is enough to attest to that."

Despite his words, Rika still felt drastically uneasy. She looked at her hands and continued to repeat their words in her head.

"You two keep saying things like I was _hurt_, that I was _in an accident,_"

Rika's words trailed off as she looked up at Urahara and Orihime,

"What the hell happened to me?!"

Urahara dropped his smile for a second before smiling gently at Rika. Orihime looked sad and dropped her gaze to the floor. Urahara sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"To be completely honest, I have no idea. I was actually hoping you would be able to fill in the unknown gaps to the events that lead you to my front porch Saturday morning. You can't recall what happened to you two nights ago?"

Rika shook her head, she just couldn't recall anything from after she woke up. All she could remember were feelings of pain and nothing else. Urahara went over how they had found her outside of his shop Saturday morning and how Orihime had had to heal her. Rika couldn't believe that Orihime even had to restore her spiritual energy. How bad had this accident actually been? Urahara continued to say that Rika may have been attacked by something called an Arrancar who had more than likely come from some place called Hueco Mundo. All of these terms Rika had heard from Ichigo, she knew Hollows were attracted to people with higher levels of spiritual energy so Arrancars must have been right down there with them.

"Tell me Rika-chan, may I call you as such?"

Rika shrugged at Urahara, she never did mind the way people addressed her as she was still too Canadian to care.

"How clearly can you see Hollows and Shinigami now?"

Rika thought back to the time when she had begun to see those horrendous monsters along with their Shinigami counter parts.

"I can see them clearly now. Two years ago when I first arrived in Japan all I could sense where small bouts of pressure, like a cold chill down my spine when there was a spiritual being around. I've always been able to feel those pressures, ever since I was a kid."

"But after Ichigo began to train with those Xcution people, what were once dark shadows that loomed in the corner of my eyes became full blown apparitions of the dead."

Urahara let out a small _hmmm_ as he brought his hand up to scratch his cheek.

"Well that does it then, your spiritual pressure has drastically increased in these past few months and that's why this Arrancar attached itself to you in the first place. That also explains why it took so long for Orihime-chan to restore the spiritual energy the Arrancar stole."

There was an abrupt sound that erupted from Rika's stomach. Orihime and Urahara looked slightly startled by the loud growl her stomach had made. Rika let herself fall back onto the shikibuton. She clasped her right arm over her stomach.

"You have to feed me or I will die…"

"Oh! Rika-chan you must be starving! I'll be right back!"

Orihime jumped back onto her feet and ran out the door way. Urahara straightened up and placed his hat back on his head.

"This incident has left us all a bit shaken, Rika-chan. If you are up for it, I would like for you to begin training here at the shop with Yoruichi and myself. You must learn to structure and mold your spiritual energy into something that can help protect you from future attacks."

Rika thought about his proposal, had her spiritual energy truly changed that much that she now needed to defend herself against those terrible creature Ichigo hunted? Well, her aching body was far enough proof that she did.

"Yeah… I can do that. As long as it doesn't interfere with my school schedule."

Urahara smiled as he stood up, he brought his fan out of his sleve and began to fan his face.

"Very well, I will let Yoruichi know as soon as she returns with Ichigo."

Rika perked up at the mention of Ichigo,

"Where did Ichigo and Yoruichi go?"

"They went out scouting for the thing that attacked you. Ichigo's blood nearly boiled over after he saw how bad you were. He hasn't stopped looking."

Rika recalled Ichigo's words to her after he had regained his Shinigami powers. _I can protect you now_. Rika frowned as she began to imagine how much Ichigo had been hurt when he had seen herself unconscious. Surely he was thinking he had somehow failed her and his friends. She would have to have a chat with him to make sure he didn't pin everything on himself like had a tendency to do.

"Hmm, speaking of scouting, Orihime must have run into a dead end by now. She ran off towards the shop but the kitchen is in the other direction…"

"Well, I better go after her then. Don't worry Rika-chan, we'll get you a hot cup of tea in no time!"

Urahara laughed to himself as he left the room, sliding the door closed behind him. Rika could feel her stomach demanding food. She sighed as she closed her eyes, maybe when she opened them again there would be warm, delicious food to eat.

* * *

Rika woke to a start, a cold shiver running through her entire body. She looked at the grandfather clock and discovered that what had felt like seconds of sleep had actually been about twenty minutes. Another shiver ran through her, much more violently this time. Rika got colder as she sat up, wrapping her arms around herself. Rika shook uncontrollably as she felt a large pressure infest the room. This pressure hit her like an avalanche of rocks, her body convulsed as she recalled this exact same pressure. An array of images began to invade her mind. Her dark bedroom, the shadow in her bathroom, its sudden appearance by her bedside, her lengthy struggle with it. Every scene replayed in her mind, from the dark figure pulling her across the floor and smashing her into the mirror to her collapse in the alley way, blood mixing with the rain on the ground.

Rika gagged on her own saliva as she felt the pressure increase, the pain running through her body increasing tenfold. The room began to spin, tears stung the corner of her eyes as she forced herself up. Rika straggled to the sliding door and quickened her pace as she neared it. Rika managed to open the door and slung herself out of the room, hitting the wall outside the room.

"Rika-chan!"

Rika looked up to see Orihime down the hall. She placed the tray of food she was carrying on the floor and ran towards Rika. Rika convulsed once more as another large spike of the terrifying pressure hit her again. She slammed herself against Orihime, sending both girl sliding down the wall to the floor. Orihime wrapped her arms around Rika, trying to calm her shaking.

"Rika-chan, what's wrong?! What is it?"

Tears were now running freely down Rika's cheeks, she held onto Orihime's shoulders as she brought her face up.

"It's here! T-that thing, I feel it! Orihime we have to g-get out of here, now!"

Orihime's eyes widened with fear and worry as a loud bang and multiple voices were heard down the opposite end of the hall. Orihime wrapped her arms more tightly around Rika, patting her hair in a comforting motion. Rika clung to Orihime as if her life depended on it, sobbing into her shoulder. She let out a hoarse yelp as Urahara appeared behind the girls. He bended down to be level with Rika, she looked at him through wet, puffy eyes. He placed a hand on her head and smiled.

"You're safe, remember? Ichigo is back, neither he nor I will let any further harm come to you Rika-chan. Orihime-chan, please help get Rika-chan up. Come on."

Rika began to feel Urahara's spiritual pressure envelope her, she began to control her breathing rate and reduced the tears. Orihime held her up and helped her walk behind Urahara towards the other end of the hall. They had reached the end of the hall, turning towards a curtain covered doorway that Urahara pulled aside. He stepped through the doorway, Rika and Orihime followed, remaining close to the doorway itself. Rika continued leaning on Orihime for support.

They were now staring into the shop which was full of booth new and familiar faces. Yumichika had been the first to notice her and… where those feathers sticking out of his head?

"Moreno-chan…"

The room went quiet as all eyes turned to her. Rika immediately recognized Renji and Ikkaku. There were also two other men and a women she didn't recognize. Ichigo and Yoruichi were there as well. Ichigo approached Rika,

"You're awake…"

"All this fucking bullshit for some bitch! Let me go you fucking bastards!"

The force of that voice nearly sent Rika tumbling to the floor, had it not been for Orihime and Ichigo both holding onto her. She looked towards the guy who had been kneeling in front of Ikkaku and the guy with a 69 tattooed on his face. His hands seemed to be bound behind his back and he looked extremely ticked off. His hair was a light blue and spiked, he definitely gave Ichigo a run for his money in the odd hair department.

Ikkaku unsheathed his zanpaktou and hit the blue haired guy on the head with its hilt,

"You ain't got no right to be talkin'!"

The blue haired guy looked up at Ikkaku and gave a menacing growl and that was when Rika noticed the odd, white bone like structure stuck to the right side of his face. The man with silvery white hair approached Rika and bowed lightly.

"Moreno-san, I am Kensei Muguruma, Captain of Squad Nine of the Gotei 13. These are my lieutenants, Mashiro Kuna," he mentioned to the green haired women standing by the entrance, "and Shuhei Hisagi." He pointed to the guy with the 69 tattooed on his face.

"I am aware that you are familiar with the rest of my crew. We were sent by Central 46 to apprehend the Arrancar that had attacked you and I am pleased to personally report to you that we have successfully captured him, as you can see."

Rika felt her breath hitch in her lungs as she stared at the blue haired man, how could he have possibly been the terrifying thing in her bedroom two nights ago? Captain Muguruma continued to speak,

"To ease your confusion with this situation, we have confirmed that the Arrancar took the form of a cat which was in your care. He fed off of your spiritual energy until he was able to manifest himself once more in his original form."

Rika went light headed at the mention of a cat.

"Pantera…"

The blue haired guy cackled loudly and turned to face Rika.

"I should have finished your weak ass when I had the chance!"

Rika felt her body stiffen as he spoke, her mind went blank as her hands balled up into fists. Ichigo stood in front of Rika, shielding her from the man's hateful glare.

"That's enough Grimmjow!"

"Fuck you Kurosaki! Fuck that worthless bitch!"

Something stirred inside Rika, rage filling her veins.

"I'll kill all of you bastards! And then I'll come and finish off that stupid bitch once and for all! In fact, I'll leave you alive until the very end Kurosaki, that way you can watch me kill that stupid women before I kill you!"

Without warning, Rika lunged herself forward, shoving Ichigo away. In a blind rage, she raised her arm and drew her fist, just as her mother had shown her. She threw herself at the blue haired man and brought her fist to his face, connecting to the left side of his mouth and cheek. She followed through all the way, knocking him off balance and sending him backwards. She toppled over onto his legs, breathing heavily. The vibrations of the pressure that erupted from the punch echoed throughout the room, leaving everyone in a stunned silence. Ikkaku looked down at Ruiz,

"What the fuck was that?"

The blue haired man stirred and looked over at Rika, venom in his eyes. His lower lip bruised and bloodied.

"I've had about enough of you, you pathetic whore."

Rika lost all clear logic and parted her legs, locking his own legs beneath her and sitting up on his lower half. Her eyes darted to Hisagi, who was closest, and the two Zanpaktou at his waist. She quickly grabbed and unsheated the one with the blue hilt and swang it above her head holding the hilt with both hands. The sword pointed right at his chest, she brought it down with all the force she could muster only for a cane to intercept it. Rika looked up, Urahara stood by the blue haired man's head, his cane protecting him from Rika's wrath.

Rika raised the sword once more but was grabbed around the waist and lifted off of her attacker forcefully.

"Let go of me!"

Ikkaku and Renji had their arms around her waist and arms, trying to keep her under control. Hisagi grabbed her right wrist, squeezing only hard enough to force her to drop the zanpaktou. Urahara stood and straightened his hat.

"Orihime, please lead Renji and Ikkaku back to Rika-chan's room."

Orihime nodded as she went back through the doorway, Renji and Ikkaku followed, dragging a hysterical Rika with them. Ichigo right behind them. Yumichika turned towards Kensei who simply nodded his head. Yumichika soon took after everyone through the doorway.

"I'll kill that fucking bitch!"

Urahara hit Grimmjow on the back of the neck with his cane, knocking him out. He exchanged looks with Yoruichi. Kensei cleared his throat,

"That pressure, it was enormous for a human…"

Yoruichi smiled,

"Indeed it was, things just got a whole lot more interesting."

"Now, now Yoruichi," Urahara started, "don't go getting any odd ideas. We need to take care of the elephant in the room first."

All eyes were on the Espada passed out on the floor. Keisei rubbed the back of his neck as he closed his eyes,

"Right, we have to get him back to Soul Society as soon as possible. Central 46 will want to start his trail right away. Although I wouldn't be surprised if Mayuri finds a way to postpone it. He seemed even weirder than ever when he heard we were going to hunt down an Arrancar."

Yoruichi cocked and eyebrow,

"What does Mayuri have to do with this?"

Mashiro chirped in as she began to poke Grimmjow's hollow mask.

"Central 46 wanted us to hunt this guy down and execute him on the spot!"

Hisagi grabbed Mashiro by the collar and lifted her up and away from the Espada,

"Mayuri was the one who convinced Central 46 and old man Yamamoto that the Espada would be of a greater value to us alive. Hence, the trail instead of a direct execution."

Urahara accepted this explanation. He had thought it a little odd the Central 46 wanted a trail for the Espada. He figured that after he had conveyed the message to Soul Society they would mostly be interested in eliminating the Arrancar. Now that Mayuri's role in this had been revealed, everything made much more sense. He clapped his hands together and smiled.

"Well, should we get going then? Time is of the essence after all."

Kensei looked at Urahara and Yoruichi,

"Is the human alright? She will have to come as well, Yamamoto insisted that if a proper trail was to be held than the main victim should be present as well. To be honest, I am a little hesitant to take her back after witnessing her actions just know."

Urahara laughed it off,

"She'll be fine, she's a tough cookie. Now then, shall I begin the preparations for our trip to the other side?"

Urahara smirked, things were indeed getting more interesting.


	7. You Are My Specimen

**So, it's been a ridiculously long time since I last updated and I just want everyone to know that I have not forgotten about Rika or her escapades. The story is going well and I've kept on writing chapters which I will be posting in a timely matter from now on. Hopefully. I apologize for the long wait and i wish to thank everyone who has followed, favorited and/or reviewed. It was all of you who kept me writing, the pressure to update was escalating and I fianlly got off my lazy bum and did something about it. It's all the reviews you guys leave that keep me writing more and more so thank you! Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Small rays of light penetrated the normally dark and murky cell from the small barred window above hitting Grimmjow on the face and causing him to stir. The Espada sat up, rubbing the back of his neck, which felt sore and bruised. He looked around the small squared area and sighed.

"Fuck…"  
Grimmjow ran a hand through his hair as he picked himself up off of the cold concrete floor and onto the stiff concrete bench under the small window. He figured he was in a prison somewhere inside the Seireitei. After everything he had gone through to escape Hueco Mundo, everything he had gone through to regain his body and this is where he found himself. Grimmjow clenched his fists as he recalled that bitch, he really should have just killed her when he had the chance. If he had killed her would he be in a different situation right now? Probably not.

Kurosaki had seemed close to her, he would have come after his ass either way just like he had come after Aizen when he had ordered that Inoue women to be abducted. Those fucking bastards had even taken his Zanpaktou, and of course that bitch added salt to his wound when she used his own Zanpaktou to nearly stab him. Bitch was fucking crazy. Grimmjow's hand came to his left cheek, lightly massaging the tender area around his mouth. He flinched, his busted lip still sore. He had not expected such a harsh impact from that women, it had completely caught him off guard.

He had felt she had a large amount of spiritual energy for a human, he had sniffed it right off of her that night in the ally. Perhaps that's why he had let her live, he was just repaying his debt to her for beating those kids off of him. Fucking little bastards came at him from nowhere that night, he barely had time to react after they jumped him and cut him up. Unfortunately for him, his spiritual pressure was so weak by the time he reached the world of the living that he couldn't manifest himself into anything larger than a stupid cat.

He had been scouting around for a number of days trying to find humans he could drain but he hadn't managed to find anyone worth draining until he ran into that women. Just a week with her was enough for him to regain his body. Yet the pressure she had hit him with was beyond what he had originally felt in her, where the hell was she hiding all that energy?

And of course she had to be an acquaintance of Kurosaki, he had begun to suspect so when he saw she was friendly with that Chad guy who had followed Kurosaki into Hueco Mundo when they were at that hospital. His suspicions were confirmed when she actually took him to Kurosaki's fucking house… he had never shown up so that was a plus. Grimmjow was sure that if Kurosaki had been there he would have been able to recognize his spiritual pressure, even if it was weak.

Grimmjow began to feel restless, he wasn't about to let everything end like this. He had come too far to be beaten and imprisoned like a wild animal taken to a circus. Grimmjow got up and took a good look at the bars in front of him, they seemed brittle enough to where a cero would be able to blow them away. After that he just had to beat the shit out of anyone in his way, hunt down his Zanpaktou and make a dash for the world of the living. Nothing he couldn't handle. His aimed his open hand at the bars and began to concentrate his energy in his palm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, it'll just keep bouncing around until it hits a corporeal object."

Grimmjow looked up at the sudden appearance of a man shrouded in the shadows on the other side of the cell. He noticed the white robs of a captain but could not see a face.

"Who the fuck are you…"

The man walked away from the shadows and revealed his black and white stripped face, the large gold head piece he wore glistened from the light that seeped in. This guy looked awfully familiar but Grimmjow just could not place him. He was a captain though, he was sure of that.

"I am Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Captain of Squad 12 and Head of the Department of Research and Development. I fought in Las Noches against some Espada I recall as Szayel, the rest of his name escapes me at the moment."

Well, now he remembered. This guy was supposedly as crazy as Apporo had been. Grimmjow scarcely recalled feeling Apporo's spiritual pressure clashing with this guy's pressure while he himself was trying to get his shit together after being stabbed by fucking Nnoitra. Grimmjow's gaze fell hard on the creep in front of him.

"You're the guy who took all those bodies after the war, ain't ya?"

"Why yes, that was me indeed. Oh come now, don't look disturbed. I am a man of science after all, I needed to collect as many specimens as I could before they decayed. Yet, do you know what the best kind of specimen is?"

Grimmjow failed to reply as he felt a drastic change in Kurotsuchi's spiritual preassure, he instinctively took a few steps back.

"Hehehe, why a live one of course!"

Grimmjow growled as he got into a fighting stance,

"You better stay the fuck away from me unless you want that gold piece on your head shoved up your ass."

"Relax Espada, my intentions are not to hurt you. As I said, the best type of specimen is the live type. I merely wish to study you; to see how I can use you for the greater advancement of Shinigami everywhere. You caused quite the controversy over the past few days, enough to guarantee you a death sentence. I suggest you be grateful to me for convincing those fools at Central 46 to allow you to live, for experimentation of course, so you best consider cooperating properly with us unless you wish to go to an early grave."

Grimmjow did not let up his stance. Kurotsuchi sighed and came closer to Grimmjow's cell, he dug in his robes until he revealed a large ring of keys. Grimmjow eyed them carefully wondering what exactly this creep was up to.

"I don't know what you're going on about but there's no way I'd ever agree to let you experiment on me. I'll rip your throat out before you even get anywhere close to me."

Kurotsuchi held up one of the many keys and pointed it towards Grimmjow. The key began to glow a faint silver and a zap of energy rocketed from the tip, swooshing through the cell bars and smashing onto Grimmjow's chest. The impact sent the Espada flying backwards onto the wall. Grimmjow felt heat rise from his chest as he looked down. Something began to form at the site of impact and slowly made its way up towards Grimmjow's throat. He clawed violently at the odd substance but could not seem to be able to grab it. The heat intensified as the substance travelled up his torso eventually reaching his neck and wrapping itself around his throat. In an instant, Grimmjow felt the substance harden. He grabbed for it, clasping his hands around it as he tried to yank it off but to no avail. It was now metallic and felt cold along his skin.

"What the hell is this?!"

"Bomb collar. Quite effective. I can detonate it at any instant so if you so much as tick me off, say goodbye to your head."

Grimmjow's eyes widened as his pulse slightly quickened. Was he bluffing? Had this creep really just set a bomb around his neck? Kurotsuchi proceeded towards the cell gate. He pushed the key into the lock and swung the cell gate open. He turned his back to Grimmjow and began to make his way back down the dark corridor. He stopped midway and looked back over his shoulder.

"Well? Come on Espada, are you just going to stand there? This way."

Grimmjow looked around the cell and placed one foot outside the gate, nothing happened. He continued his way out and followed the Shinigami. The walk was silent. As they progressed through the dark corridor Grimmjow noted that the building became less grimy and more vibrant. They arrived at ta set of large stone doors that opened once Kurotsuchi was in front of them. Once on the other side Grimmjow's surroundings had completely changed. They were in some sort of control room. All heads in the large room stopped what they were doing and stared at the duo that had just entered. Grimmjow followed Kurotsuchi through the room, glaring at anyone he made eye contact with. About a ten-minute walk later they were far away from the control room and were now in front of another set of large doors. Once more, the doors opened at Kurotsuchi's presence.

Grimmjow inhaled sharply as bright sunlight flooded over him. There was no sunshine in Hueco Mundo and one thing Grimmjow had come to enjoy in the world of the living was the feel of the warmth the sunlight left on his skin, much like now. Grimmjow squinted his eyes and used his hand to block some of the sunshine out of his eyes. The sun was far of west, these were the last rays of light for the day before nightfall. The duo stepped out into a small garden complete with a koi pond and walk way. The square garden was surrounded by what appeared to be some sort of residential unit with tatami doors on each wall. Kurotsuchi continued down the walk way through the garden.

"Welcome to your new cell. This is your court yard. To the left is your resting quarters, to the right is your dining area and straight ahead is your washroom. There is only one way in and out, Espada, and that is the doors behind you. Only I can open them and they conceal themselves once closed. Try and escape through this courtyard and the bomb collar goes off. Now I suggest you wash up and get some rest, you don't want to make a bad impression at the trial tomorrow."

Grimmjow's head perked at the sound of his words.

"What trial?"

"Your trial of course. You are being charged with assault and attempted murder of a human. Like I said, you won't be executed but we still have an image to uphold. You will stand trial in front of Central 46 tomorrow at 15:00 sharp. Although there were quite a few annoying voices against my suggestions so we might actually have to put up a fight to keep you around. Who knows…?"

Kurotsuchi began to walk towards the doors, leaving Grimmjow to his thoughts. Grimmjow's fists clenched in frustration. None of this made any sense to him and that damn creep had provided no answers to his questions.

"Hey!"

Kurotsuchi stopped midstep,

"Why the hell are you bastards making me go through all this?! I didn't kill that damn women so what's the fucking trial for?! And why am I here, why not just leave me in that dungeon I woke up in?"

Kurotsuchi held up his hand,

"Three. You are not my prisoner, you are my specimen and I require you to be in good health if I am to observe you at your finest. Keeping you in a dungeon would do no good to your physical condition. Two. No, you did not kill Moreno Rika but you did gravely harm her and one of the strict laws of Soul Society is that no Shinigami shall kill a human that is not on their list. Now, you are not a Shinigami but you are an Espada which in itself means that you should have been exterminated from the beginning but I managed to change many minds. One. You are going through this for my benefit, I can learn much from both you and Moreno so don't begin to think yourself so special. You simply provided me with a good specimen which saves me the trouble and paperwork of getting an expedition to Hueco Mundo approved so I guess I must thank you for that. Anything else, Espada?"

Grimmjow couldn't understand why this creep was also interested in Moreno Rika. What did she have to do with his experiments?

"What about Moreno? Why do you say you can learn from her? I left that bitch nearly dead."

Kurotsuchi chuckled,

"My, oh my you had no idea what you were dealing with, did you? I examined Moreno Rika when she first arrived in Seireitei before Unohana forced me away. What I discovered was absolutely phenomenal. You, Espada, helped spark something absolutely delicious within Moreno and I plan on discovering every last bit of it. Goodbye for now, Espada."

With that, Kurotsuchi stepped through the large doors that soon disappeared after closing, leaving only a blank wall in their absence. Grimmjow stood completely still, he had no idea what Kurotsuchi was trying to imply about that Moreno women and he didn't completely understand his situation. He wasn't a prisoner yet he couldn't leave the confines of this so called cell. Grimmjow paced around the court yard and looked into each room. The dining room had only a small table and sink countertop. The washroom was a full bathroom with a standing shower that connected to the bedroom. The bedroom was just as simple as the rest of the cell. There was a vanity and a dresser on opposite sides of the room and a full bed against the middle wall.

Grimmjow found the positioning of the bed odd. Instead of the head board leaning against the wall it was facing the opposite way with the foot of the bed towards the wall and the head board jutting out into the room. There was a round window slightly above the foot of the bed. Grimmjow looked through it only to do a double take. He expected to see some sort of sign that he was in the Seireitei but instead all he could see was another bedroom. This one was by far nicer than his. There was a bed and some couch chairs along with a coffee table and a dresser. The bed in this bedroom was situated properly on the wall opposite his window. It was almost as if someone wanted Grimmjow to be able to look into this bedroom. He shrugged as he stepped away from the window and opened the dresser. He needed a hot shower to help him get his mind off of all this madness. Inside the dresser were a bunch of white and black shihakusho. Grimmjow sighed, he wasn't keen on wearing Shinigami garb but his current ensemble was less than wearable after his scuffle with Kurosaki.

Grimmjow began to strip after entering the bathroom and turning on the water. He discarded his white jacket and black pants and top, tossing them to some corner. He found white towels inside the vanity drawers and grabbed a couple. Grimmjow looked at his reflection in the mirror. In the middle of his chest was the all too familiar scar he had decided to keep all those months ago. There were new slashes around his body and dried blood and dirt mixed in. He looked at his hollow mask which was now a grungy white. No one knew how hard it was to keep the damn thing clean. There on his left check was the remaining signs of a hard blow. It would heal by tomorrow, busted lip and all. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He was comfortable to say the least so that was something. Grimmjow hadn't been in a proper bedroom since after Aizen's defeat. Teir took over and Grimmjow decided to leave rather than follow her. He didn't give a shit if she took over, he was just sick of having to take orders.

Then again, he wasn't counting his time in that Moreno women's home. He wasn't even himself. He did feel at ease for those few days though. He had food every day, a warm bed and a nice piece of eye candy as well. Bitch was hot, he'd admit that. Not to anyone else though, obviously. Grimmjow tore his eyes off his reflection and discarded his briefs before stepping under the hot water. He felt his muscles tighten at the contact and relax soon after. After a few minutes the blood and dirt finally began to scrub off. Grimmjow remained underneath the shower head a while longer before stepping out, wrapping himself in one towel and using the other one to dry his hair. He left the bathroom and grabbed a shihakusho and began to dress himself. He looked out past the open tatami door and saw then it was now dark. The stars would be completely visible by niw. He noticed movement in the corner of his eye and realized it was through the window. Grimmjow sat at the foot of the bed and peered through. His eyes widened.

That Moreno women was on the other side. She was looking directly at him, no, she was looking at the window. Her eyes weren't focused on him and she looked tired. She had a brush in her right hand and began to stroke her damp hair with it. She placed the brush down and tossed her hair behind her. She pulled the top of the white bathrobe she wore away from her neck, revealing slight bruising. She touched the skin and winced.

"Damn Ikkaku, putting me in a headlock like that."

She stood up and Grimmjow's hand tensed around the sheets beneath him as she began to undo the knot of her bathrobe only to reveal naked flesh. Oh this shit's getting good, thought Grimmjow.


	8. Don't Make Nii-Sama Angry

**Quick Note: Dialogue is not my strongest point and it is something I am working to improve on so from time to time you will see me change the format of my dialogue and that is just me experimenting with how to incorporate dialogue into stories. Any feedback in this area would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for the continued support and I hope you like this new installment!**

* * *

"Well Moreno-san, you will be perfectly fine. The bruising should go away in a few days. Shame on you boys for using such force against Moreno-san."

Unohana directed her last words at Ikkaku and Renji who sat by the door of one of the many medical rooms in the Squad 4 barracks. They both flinched and mumbled weak apologies for the eighth time that day. Rika had just recently arrived at Soul Society with the Squad that had been sent to the world of the living along with Ichigo and Yoruichi. Everything had been a huge blur for her since arriving. There had been so many faces surrounding her, people coming and going. She had briefly met the Captain Commander who had explained to her that she would be a witness in the trial of Jaegerjaquez Grimmjow the following day and that she would remain in Soul Society until a final verdict was decided upon. Afterwards she had been swept away to what Ichigo had called Squad Four, he and Yoruichi had disappeared shortly after they arrived.

From there Rika had witnessed an intense verbal battle between Unohana-sama and some freak with white and black face paint. She had thought he was the medical expert so she allowed him to look her over and she was beyond creeped out when Hanatro had walked in and demanded to know why the freaky guy was interacting with the witness, i.e. her. The creepy guy had attempted to attack Hanataro until a woman who introduced herself as Captain Unohana appeared and kicked the other dude out. And now she was here, sitting on a shikifuton in a medical ward after numerous tests run on her by Unohana.

"Unohana-sama, I am ok right? There's nothing off with my spirit energy?"

Unohana smiled,

"You are currently healthy. I imagine you feel slightly drained but that is to be expected after what you went though. As for your spirit energy, it has been spiking at random times and it does seem to be increasing. We will address this at a later time. For now, please rest assured that you will make a full recovery. Including these bruises... Shame on you two!"

Renji and Ikkaku apologized for the ninth time, a bit more exasperated this time. Rika fidgeted with her fingers in her lap, this was so much and she didn't know how she could possibly keep from losing her cool. What had happened to her? Back at Urahara's shop she had felt a terrifying amount of power and hostility and it had frightened her. She had never felt so out of control. Unohana noticed her discomfort and placed her hands over Rika's. Rika looked up and Unohana smiled warmly at her.

"I know you are afraid, Moreno-san. I know you feel overwhelmed and unsure of anything that is going on right now but I want you to remember that you are among friends. You have dealt with everything that has happened tremendously well and for that you have my respect. Not many would be able to keep calm after being thrown into such a bizarre situation. Just remember that we will allow no harm to come to you while you are here. Trust us."

Rika felt herself begin to relax at Unohana's words, she didn't let her guard down entirely but she did feel much more calm now.

"Yeah, you don't have to worry about anything, Rika, you're safe with us. That's why Ikkaku and I are here, to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't get yourself into trouble. And if you do manage to get into trouble, which at some point you probably will because you are you and you after all and you are friends with Ichigo, we'll be here to get you out of it."

Renji gave Rika a toothy grin and a thumbs up. Rika felt her eye twitch, her protection consisted of chrome dome and brow guy. How comforting.

"One last thing, you are familiar with Yamada Hanataro, are you not?" asked Unohana. Rika nodded. She had known Hanataro as the small boy who worked at the convenience store she liked to frequent, they served fantastic Columbian coffee brews there. Rika had only discovered he was a Shinigami until after the whole Aizen incident blew over after Ichigo had informed her of the reason he had gone _missing _and it left her quite in shock to learn that little Hana-chan, as she liked to call him, was in the same kin as Ikkaku, Yumichika and Renji.

"Then from this point on if at any time you feel unwell or ill, please seek out Yamada. He will be your personal medic during your stay with us."

After further advising Rika to avoid stress, Unohana took off and Rika was left to roam the Seireitei with Renji and Ikkaku. Rika had heard a lot about this place from Ichigo but she had always pictured it differently. Now that she thought about it, Rika wasn't so sure of how she had even pictured the Seireitei to begin with. Renji had explained to Rika how the whole trial process worked. She would have to stand witness in front of the so called Central 46 and retell what had occurred that night Grimmjow had attacked her. After the trial, a panel of six judges would give their final verdict on whether he was to receive punishment or execution. Afterwards Rika would be able to return to her normal life, or what was left of it anyway. Urahara would want her to begin training with Yoruichi, the women herself said that they could begin her training here in Soul Society if Rika felt up to it. That is, if she ever saw that woman again.

Rika was doubting if she would be able to give a good account of what had happened that night. She didn't remember much, she just remembered a lot of pain and feeling terrified. And to think she had actually considered keeping the stupid cat. Rika felt frustrated that she had allowed herself to be tricked in such a manner. Yoruichi had told her that it wasn't surprising, apparently Grimmjow's spiritual pressure had weakened severely and that was why not even Karin or Sado could sense him. That was all he had wanted, that's why he had stuck around for as long as he had. She was the perfect source of energy for him, enough to get his body back. Thinking of this greatly angered Rika, the thought of being used as nothing more than a mere object made her blood boil. Rika felt the heat rise to her face as she clenched her fists.

"Hey!"

Rika snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at Ikkaku. He placed a hand on her shoulder and brought his face closer to hers.

"What's goin' on? I just sensed a huge spike in your spiritual pressure. It wasn't like this before."

Rika blinked a couple of times before she spoke.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking…"

"Of?"

Rika took in a lengthy breath as she clenched and released her fists.

"He used me. I took that bastard in and nursed him back to health. I bought him expensive ass cat food that he didn't even end up eating. I gave him a warm and safe home where he could roam around and be free yet he still used me and nearly killed me! When we first met, Ikkaku, you said you would never abuse of the Asano family because of the hospitality they showed you by allowing you to live with them even though Keigo's sister drove you mental and I admired that notion, yet this bastard did abuse of me and simply left me for dead and I cannot forgive that! He deserves whatever punishment is bestowed upon him tomorrow and if they decide to execute him than so be it! Shit, if they don't execute him than I'll bloody kill him mysel-"

Rika was cut off mid-sentence as Ikkaku wrapped his arm around her neck to put her in a headlock. He began to squeeze, cutting off Rika's air supply.

"IKKAKU! What the fuc- get off!"

"Your pressure is going berserk again, Rika! You need to calm down. It feels just like that outburst you had back at Urahara's shop. You can't spike like that here, try to control it, call it down!"

"Ikkaku, let her go! That's not going to help!"

Renji shoved Ikkaku only to have the bald man squeeze even harder. Rika tried to calm herself but it wasn't easy to do so considering she was struggling for breath. Ikkaku's grip on Rika's head slightly loosened as he continued to bicker with Renji. She managed a quick breath of air and began to relax against Ikkaku. Feeling her pressure stabilize, Ikkaku let go of the headlock and held her up by the shoulders as she regained her composure. Rika brought her hands to her neck and felt the now tender skin. Great, she thought, more bruises to look forward too. Renji pushed Ikkaku away from Rika and brought something out of his sleeve.

"Back off, you're just going to damage here even more. You know she still isn't 100% good! Here Rika, hold on to this. Don't lose it."

Renji handed Rika a silver whistle, after giving it a once over she brought it her mouth and blew into it. Rika's ears popped as the horrible screech of the whistle filled the air around her. Ikkaku and Renji covered their ears as everyone around them jumped and withered at the terrible high pitched sound. Rika nearly threw the damn whistle across the street but Renji beat her too it. He snatched the whistle away from Rika and snapped at her, telling her not to do it in public. He dragged her away from the on lookers by the arm, taking her into a restaurant with Ikkaku following them.

"Well, you give me a bloody whistle and without any further context you just tell me not to lose it! How the hell was I supposed to know that it sounded like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs?!"

"What cat? What the hell are you going on about now? No. This is a defense whistle. You blow on it if you're alone and in trouble. The sound alone will be enough to temporarily immobilize your attacker as well as notify anyone around that there is danger. It has an incredibly long range. Even if you're stuck somewhere in a ditch, anyone within a 150 kilometer distance will be able to hear it."

Rika eyed the whistle in Renji's hand warily, not believing a single word of what Renji had said. Sure, the sound was horrible but was she actually expected to believe that that whistle had a 150 kilometer range?

"Nope, bunch of malarkey that is."

"What? No Rika, it's true. Urahara created it himself and gave it to me to give to you. He would have given it to you in person except he didn't get to see you before we took off. I was the last to pass through so he handed it to me. It works so just take it and use it only when you really need to."

Renji handed Rika back the whistle who eyed it cautiously before shoving it into her black robes. The odd Shinigami apparel wasn't all that comfortable for Rika, it was a little too loose for her liking. She'd have to ask Hanataro if there were any smaller sizes she could try on if she got the chance to see him again later. For now, though, she'd have to manage. Renji and Ikkaku invited Rika to sit and eat with them. It wasn't until then that Rika had noticed the savory smell of grilled meat and the pang in her stomach indicating it's need for sustenance. She gladly sat and enjoyed her meal with the two Shinigami. They talked about the first time they had met, back when that Aizen dude had deflected from Soul Society and waged war on the Gotei 13. Rika recalled how odd she had thought they both were, fashion sense and all. Yumichika, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto did a far better job at blending in with other humans than these two bone heads could ever manage.

Rika missed those days. She missed having Yumichika around. He had moved in with her after leaving Asano's place. According to him, he couldn't put up with Keigo's elder sister for much longer. It had been fun having him around. When he wasn't out dealing with his duties they would go shopping together or just stay at her place and she'd listen to his stories about the Soul Society. Rika by far felt closest to Yumichika yet he now seemed so distant to her and it immensely bothered her. He hadn't spoken a single word to her back at Urahara's and had merely given her a nod of acknowledgment when she greeted him after being calmed down by Ichigo and Orihime. She had brought this up to Ikkaku who brushed it off, telling her that was just how Yumichika was and not to worry about it. They continued their meal, reminiscing about their time in the world of the living and telling Rika about their battle in Hueco Mundo. She had only heard about Ichigo's battles so it was interesting to hear how the others had dealt with the Arrancars. Things got a little trippy for her when they brought up the whole Fake Kakarkura Town part.

Perhaps it was the three cups of sake she had drank. Rika was no good at drinking, it didn't take much to make her feel tipsy. Although without a doubt she was far soberer than either Ikkaku or Renji. They were both on their second bottle of sake and couldn't even pick up their chopsticks properly. Time flew for the trio and the two Shinigami kept drinking. Rika drank a bit more every once in a while, not enough to get shit faced like the other two but just enough to feel a light buzz. She fully intended to take advantage of the opportunity to drink. Sure, she was only a couple months away from being able to legally drink, the legal age for drinking in Japan was 20 after all, but who was she to deny drinks from friends she rarely ever got to see.

"There you are! What the hell happened here?!"

Rika looked up, Ichigo stood by their table looking beyond annoyed. She looked back at Renji who had a chopstick in each hand trying to grab a piece of meat from his plate and Ikkaku who attempted to use his zanpaktou to cut the crab leg he was trying to eat. Rika merely shrugged and hiccupped as she grabbed her sixth cup of saki and chugged it. Ichigo huffed angrily as he stomped over to Rika and dragged her up, tossing her over his shoulder. Rika let out a yelp at the sudden movement and felt her head spin. Renji barked at Ichigo to let Rika go and tried to stand. Ichigo didn't even have to make a move as Renji tripped and fell on his face. Ikkaku burst into laughter. Ichigo told them to head to their barracks, that he would take charge of Rika and walked out of the restaurant. After a few minutes, Rika got tired of being carried around and asked Ichigo and put her back on her feet, he obliged.

"Are you ok to walk? How much did you drink?"

"I'm fine Ichigo-kun, I only had six cups. Well I'm not fine fine but fine enough. Just don't hand me the keys, there's no way I'm driving. Let's call a cab or walk home. How far off is your place? I'll just stay the night."

There was complete silence as it slowly dawned on Rika what she had said.

"Wait…"

"No."

"I'm not wasted!"

"Oh, of course not. Yeah, let's try to walk home. I'm sure we'll make it out of Soul Society in no time!"

"I forgot we were here!"

"How?"

"…Clearly I'm wasted. Can't you tell?"

Ichigo sighed as he grabbed Rika's hand and dragged her down the street. Rika followed quietly and looked up. The sun was starting to set; it would be dark soon. After a while of walking in silence, Ichigo stopped at a large, fancy looking compound. Rika looked around with wide eyes, it was a nice property.

"Where are we?"

"This is Byakuya's place. He agreed to let us stay her until you're allowed to go home."

The name rattled in Rika's head, she was positive she had heard that name before but just could not wrap her head around where exactly she had heard it. Ichigo walked forward through the large gates and Rika followed. Beyond the gates were some of the most beautiful gardens Rika had ever seen.

"Ichigo! What took you so long? Nii-sama is getting impatient!"

Rika turned to see a petite women running towards them who she immediately recognized as Rukia.

"Rukia!"

Rika ran up to Rukia and threw her arms around the shorter women. Rukia returned the hug and laughed.

"Hello Rika-chan, it's been a long time. I didn't get to see you last time I went to the Human World. How are you?"

"I'm great, Ichigo told me how you helped him regain his Shinigami powers. Has everything been ok on your end?"

"Yes, everything is well. My Nii-sama is waiting to meet you. He insists on meeting you before completely letting you into the compound."

Rika blinked in realization. Rukia's 'nii-sama' was called Byakuya if she remembered correctly. So that could only mean that they were currently in the Kuchiki family compound. Rika's blood ran cold. She remembered all the stories Rukia had told her about her brother, how he was a great noble with extraordinary power. She also recalled the things she had heard from Ichigo about his rude and pretentious attitude and his 'I'm above you' mentality. Question was, who was painting him more accurately. Either way, this Byakuya guy seemed like a person you did not want to tick off.

"What are you shouting at me for?! It was Ikkaku and Renji who got her drunk! Go yell at them!"

"I can't believe that's what took you so long, Ichigo! She can't meet Nii-sama like this! He will throw you two out!"

Rika snapped out of her thoughts and gave her attention to the bickering duo. She sensed the sudden tension coming from Rukia and realized it was her intoxicated state that caused it. She put up her hands and tried to quiet down the yelling.

"I'm ok Rukia, I'm just a bit tipsy. I can still walk and talk and be presentable."

"No Rika, I won't allow you to meet my honorable Nii-sama in such a state. Go stay at the Squad 13 barracks, Captain Ukitake won't turn you away. We will try again tomorrow!"

"Try what again tomorrow?"

All three jumped at the sudden intrusion of the unknown voice. Rika turned around to see a tall man with long, black hair dressed in captain garb standing a few feet away from the trio. Rika couldn't help but shrink down slightly. His demeanor was imposing and his gaze was as cold as ice. Rukia reacted immediately, standing in front of Rika so as to block her from the man's view.

"Nii-sama! N-nothing, please return to your chambers. Ichigo and his friend were just leaving!"

The man's eyes locked onto Rika and she tensed. Rika felt heat rise to her face as she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"You are Moreno Rika. Stand aside Rukia."

Rukia stepped aside and gave Rika an apologetic look before going to her brother's side. Ichigo stood next to Rika, arms crossed and glaring at the man.

"Yeah Byakuya, this is Rika. So are you going to let her stay or not? It's late, tell us now so we can go find somewhere else to stay if not."

The man sighed deeply,

"To you Kurosaki, I am Captain Kuchiki and I believe the young lady can answer for herself. I am Kuchiki Byakuya, Captain of Squad 9 and head of the Nobel Kuchiki Clan."

Those last words were directed at Rika and after a few seconds of hesitation Rika responded as best as she knew how. She bowed deeply at the waist and introduced herself.

"I am Moreno Rika. It is a true honor to meet the revered head of the Kuchiki Clan. Words cannot describe how grateful Kurosaki and I are at your hospitality. Truly, we are not worthy of such kindness."

Ichigo gaped at Rika and was about to rebuff her statements when Byakuya interrupted him.

"The honor is mine Moreno-san. You may stay here for as long as you are required to remain in Soul Society. Central 46 is aware of this arrangement and have approved it. Rukia will escort you to your quarters."

Ichigo was beyond dumbfounded, he hadn't expected Byakuya to give in so easily. He hadn't even put up a fight or anything.

"Well, alright then. I'll walk with you guys. Then you can show me where I'm staying, Rukia."

"I find it comical that you believe you are actually staying here, Kurosaki."

Rika and Ichigo turned to look at Byakuya. He stood calmly and took hold of his sword. Ichigo jumped back.

"What the hell, Byakuya?!"

"When Rukia petitioned me to allow Moreno-san to stay, she never mentioned you."

Rukia gasped as she realized she had, in fact, never brought up Ichigo staying as well. She had just assumed he would stay as well and now she mentally slapped herself for being so naïve.

"Nii-sama, please reconsider. He has nowhere to go and I'm sure Rika-chan would be much more comfortable with him here as well."

"Enough Rukia, Kurosaki will not stay. There is no reason for Moreno-san to feel uncomfortable here, I have personally guaranteed her safety and wellbeing to the Captain Commander and Central 46. I will allow Kurosaki to stay at the Squad 6 barracks, I believe there should be plenty of space for him in Abarai's quarters."

Ichigo snapped and pointed a finger at the two siblings.

"Hey! Don't talk about me as if I'm not here! There's no way I'm leaving Rika here by herself so just give me a room!"

Byakuya slightly unsheathed his sword and directed his full attention at Ichigo.

"Senbon-"

Ichigo dashed out through the gates, holding his arms out protectively.

"What the hell's wrong with you, Byakuya!? I'll leave, just sheath that damn Zanpaktou."

Rika felt her heart quicken. She ran towards the gate but was held back by someone grabbing her arm. Rukia had both her hands on Rika's arm, pulling her back.

"Please Rika-chan, don't make Nii-sama angry."

Rika looked past Rukia and at Byakuya who observed her with those cold and emotionless eyes. Rika looked at Ichigo with uncertainty, she didn't want him to leave.

"Ichigo…"

Ichigo gave her a small, reassuring smile.

"Don't worry Rika, I'll be fine. You stay, there's no better place for you to be than here. I'll see you tomorrow."

"A-alright. Goodnight Ichigo-kun."  
Rukia took her hand and walked her away from the gate. Byakuya snapped his fingers and the gates began to shut. She looked back and managed to see Ichigo mouth a quiet goodnight as the gates came to complete close.

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**Author's Note: I had a friend of mine read my story and asked what he thought of it, he said there wasn't enough interaction between Rika and Grimmjow and that it lacked any romantic elements. That got me thinking that perhaps some readers might be bored or fed up with the lack of romance in this story so far and I just want to let you guys know that it's completely intentional. I've read so many fics where the character's romance had no development and it just happened for the heck of it and I ended up not liking those stories much. I believe that the best type of relationship is a relationship that is cultivated over time and I plan to incorporate that theme in this story. This is just something that I thought I would touch on in case anyone didn't like the pace of the story so far. As always, any constructive feedback is welcome. Thanks for reading! **


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